


Datlof One Shots

by Ceylar



Series: The World of Datlof [2]
Category: The Yogscast
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood, Blood Loss, Blood Magic, Blood and Gore, Cults, Gen, Graphic Description, Human Sacrifice, Implied/Referenced Suicide, One Shot, Sacrifice, Self-Sacrifice, Spooky, Violence, Yoglabs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-02-20 00:12:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 27,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13135107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceylar/pseuds/Ceylar
Summary: Here is where I'll be posting small one shots from the world of Datlof. These one shots will either be seasonal, or just little things that don't appear in the main story arc, but are quite fun to read on their own. Some will be written by my friend, and if that's the case I'll let you know at the start (she doesn't have an account on AO3)I hope you enjoy these little short stories :)(Tags will be for the latest chapter only - any warnings will be placed at the beginning of each individual chapter)





	1. A Christmas Carol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Christmas Carol for you all to enjoy! Featuring our friends from Datlof, and my Christmas gift to you!
> 
> The story of A Christmas Carol has always played a large part of my Christmas, right from when I was just a baby, so this is something extra special to me, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And those of you who know the story well, will know that I have used lots of quotes from the actual book, because you can't get better than perfection.

The skies were dark and cloudy and the air was bitterly cold. It hadn’t rained for a couple of days and frost clung to the branches of bare trees. Pedestrians hurried to their destinations, wrapped up warm in winter clothing; hats, scarves and coats. No one wanted to linger long out in the cold darkness for long.

Lights from the buildings and stretched between trees filled the dark streets with light and made the darkness a little more bearable. But the building that was the most brightly lit was Yoglabs. It towered high above the rest of the city, white marble almost appearing to glow in the darkness. Inside the building warmth filled the air and christmas decorations of green and red: holly, ivy, poinsettia flowers and pine branches, were hung from the walls. Golden tinsel wrapped around the greenery and the combination was beautiful to behold, the tinsel twinkling in the lights of the building. 

The first few floors of the building were empty with not a soul in sight. But up on the floor of the cafeteria, tables and chairs had been moved about for the creation of a makeshift stage with the chairs creating the seats for the audience. And the audience themselves, talking among each other excitedly, were a mixture of people, some from the patients of the medical wing, sat in wheelchairs for those who were unable to stand and the others sat in the chairs provided. They were accompanied by friends and family, and the nurses and doctors from the medical wing and the rest of the audience were the other employees of Yoglabs; scientists, werewolves and those from managerial roles.

The quiet conversations among the audience members died down as Lewis stepped up onto the stage, wearing his usual attire of his red jacket and blue and white striped shirt. However, tonight there was a presence lacking from Lewis’s side as Simon was nowhere to be found. Lewis cleared his throat, causing the last of the conversations to fall silent, and then he began to speak.

“As I’m sure most of you are aware, tonight is going to be a reenactment of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Some of the people involved in this are Yoglabs employees, and others are close personal friends. Moments in this play might be a little rough around the edges, but as long as you enjoy yourselves tonight, we’ve done our job.” 

Lewis finished talking and smiled down at the audience. A couple of murmurs ran around the audience, mostly between employees who had heard rumours about the play. Most people knew that it had been Lewis’s idea to do something for the patients of the medical wing who would be unable to go home over Christmas, but the idea of reenacting the play had come from the alpha of the werewolves, Alph. And as a result, the employees were expecting something that would most likely be an unforgettable experience, but not something you would expect to see done by a group of professionals.

“With that, I hope you enjoy the show!” 

Lewis beamed as the audience clapped and he jumped off the stage and disappeared. Moments later the lights in the cafeteria dimmed, leaving only the lights above the stage on. A woman stepped onto the stage wearing a beautiful ruby red dress that trailed behind her elegantly as she walked. It was sleeveless and trimmed in white fur. The woman’s blonde hair was cascading over her shoulder and most of the audience gasped as they caught sight of her. The employees of Yoglabs recognised this woman as the second in command of the werewolves. A formidably strong werewolf called Wren.

Wren walked to the centre of the stage and looked out over the audience before she opened her mouth and began to speak.

“Old Marley was as dead as a doornail. There is no doubt whatsoever about that. Scrooge knew he was dead? Of course he did. Scrooge and he were partners for I don’t know how many years. Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole administrator, his sole friend, his sole mourner. Scrooge himself was a tight-fisted task master who thought of nothing other than himself and his own profit.”

Wren stepped to the side as a tall figure, wearing a long black coat and a top hat, stepped into the light on the stage. The figure lifted their head so the light shined onto their face. And it was revealed that it was Rythian, looking downright miserable and grumpy.

“Our story starts on Christmas Eve, with Scrooge in his counting house along with his clerk, a man named Bob Cratchit.”

Another figure stepped onto the stage, this one instantly recognisable as Duncan Jones, dressed in an old brown jacket that was clearly several sizes too small for the man. A couple of people dressed entirely in black scurried onto the stage and placed a couple of chairs and tables down, and Duncan and Rythian took their respective places.

“The weather outside was bitterly cold, but the fire inside the counting house was barely more than embers. Yet Scrooge wouldn’t allow his clerk to put more coal on the fire, as coal was costly.”

“Can we have some more coal on the fire please?” Duncan piped up, looking over expectantly at Rythian.

“No.” Came the gloomy response.

Just then, a third character stepped onto the stage with a loud exclamation of “A merry Christmas, Uncle!” 

Everyone, both those on and off the stage, turned their heads to look towards the man who’d just arrived. Only a couple of people in the audience knew that this ginger-haired man was a member of the pack, a werewolf called Zach.

“Humbug!” Rythian replied, glaring towards Zach.

“Christmas a humbug, Uncle?!” Zach said, striding over to Rythian and standing in front of the table where he was sat. “Surely you don’t mean that?” Rythian turned his grumpy expression up at Zach.

“I do. What’s Christmas but a time for finding yourself a year older and not a penny richer. If I had my way, every idiot who goes around with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly in his heart.”

“Uncle!”

“You keep Christmas in your own way, Nephew, and let me keep it in mine.” Rythian said, turning back to pretending to be working.

“Keep it? But you don’t keep it.”

“Then let me leave it alone!” Rythian said angrily. And after a pause, “Much good it has ever done you!” He muttered. Zach straightened up and turned slightly, so he was facing the audience a little more.

“There are many things which I might say are good, yet not have profited from them. Christmas being one of them. But I have always thought of Christmastime, when it has come around, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of in the long calendar year when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut up hearts freely, and to think of some people below them as if they really were fellow travellers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, Uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it _has_ done me good, and _will_ do me good, and I say, God bless it!”

Duncan instantly stood up and began clapping, and members of the audience also began clapping. 

“Bravo!” He exclaimed loudly.

“Not another sound from you.” Rythian said, glaring across as Duncan, who instantly fell silent, sitting himself down. The applause in the audience also began to trail off as the play continued.

“Don’t be angry, Uncle. Come, dine with us tomorrow.” Zach said, turning back to Rythian.

“No.” Came the sullen response.

“But why not?”

“Why did you get married?”

“Because I fell in love.” Rythian snorted and turned back to his pretend work.

“Because you fell in love.” He muttered quietly. “Good day.”

“I want nothing from you; I ask nothing of you; why cannot we be friends?” Zach implored, resting his hands on the table where Rythian was ‘working’.

“Good day.”

“I’m sorry to find you so resolute. We have never had any quarrel that I have been a part of. But I’ll keep my Christmas humour to the last, so merry Christmas, Uncle!”

“Good day!”

“And a happy New Year!”

“Good day!”

Zach turned on his heel to face Duncan. 

“Merry Christmas, Bob!” He said, tipping his head in Duncan’s direction.

“Merry Christmas to you too!” Duncan replied, beaming happily.

With that, Zach turned and left the stage. Wren stepped back to the middle of the stage and addressed the audience once more.

“Scrooge was a grumpy old sod to everyone around him.” The audience chuckled slightly. “And later on that very same day when asked if he would make a donation to the poor to help their situation and save some from dying, he replied:” Behind Wren, Rythian stood up and looked out over the audience.

“If they are to die, then let them die and decrease the surplus population.” And intake of breath ran around the audience as Rythian sat himself back down again. Wren waited for a moment, before she continued on, in a quieter voice that that the audience almost holding their breath in anticipation.

“It it highly important to remember for this next section, that Marley, Scrooge’s old partner, was dead. For if you do not remember that, then what happens next will not seem so supernatural.”

Behind Wren, the people dressed in black began scurrying about again, this time taking away the tables and chairs and wheeling onto the stage a large block of wood that was obviously supposed to represent a door. In the centre of this door was a flap of fabric hanging down that had a door knocker painted onto it. Duncan had left the stage, and Rythian was now standing in front of the door, slightly to the side so the audience could still see the flap of fabric. Wren moved back to the side of the stage before she began talking again.

“Now it is a fact, that there was nothing at all particular about the knocker on the door of this house. And yet Scrooge saw in the knocker, without its undergoing any intermediate process of change, not a knocker, but Marley’s face.”

As Wren spoke the last few words, the fabric lifted away and revealed the face os someone that even fewer members of the audience recognised. Zoey stared at Rythian before she called out in a ghostly sounding voice, “Scrooooooooge!”

Rythian’s composure began to crack as the ghost of a smile brushed against his lips and a quiet laugh tried to escape from him, prompting a couple of the audience members to chuckle quietly. Wren heard the small laugh from Rythian and spoke up.

“Scrooge did not find this apparition funny, instead he found it rather _unsettling_.” This caused the members of the audience to laugh a little more as Rythian struggled to regain his composure. “But even as Scrooge stared at the phenomenon, it was a knocker again.” Zoey’s face vanished behind the scrap of fabric again, and Rythian was able to return the grumpy expression to his face, with no trace of a smile.

“Humbug!”

“Scrooge went into his house and locked the door behind him, for he was not one to be scared by things like this.” Wren moved back to the centre of the stage as she spoke, and behind her, the people in black scurried around changing the scene once more. “But even so, tonight Scrooge went about his house and checked the rooms before he headed up into his bedroom. He looked around his bedroom, until he was satisfied, when he closed the door, and locked himself in then double locked himself in, which was not his custom. But as Scrooge settled himself down in his chair, the bells in the house began to ring loudly.”

The air was filled with the clanging sounds of bells ringing as off to the side of the stage in the darkness, a group of people began ringing bells. As they fell silent, Wren began talking again.

“This was succeeded by a clanking noise, as if some person were dragging a heavy chain over the floors and a noise, much louder,  on the floors below; then coming up the stairs; then coming straight towards his door.” 

In the darkness by the sides of the stage, chains were shaken and someone made loud banging footstep noises. Wren began to step to the side of the stage as Rythian sat in a chair beside a small, hastily made fireplace.

“Then suddenly, the noise passed through the door and a spectre passed into the room before his very eyes!”

Zoey suddenly stepped onto the stage, dressed in grey tattered rags and home made chains dangled from her arms and her body as she walked slowly forwards. Rythian leapt up from his chair and ran around behind it.

“What do you want with me?!” He called out as Zoey moved ever closer. As Rythian stopped talking, so Zoey stopped moving, and the sound of the clanking chains fell silent.

“Much!” She cried out loudly.

“Who are you?” Rythian asked, coming out from behind his chair slightly.

“Ask me who I _was_.”

“Who _were_ you then?”

“In life I was your partner, Jacob Marley.”

“Can, can you sit down?” Rythian asked, staring at Zoey and still hiding slightly behind his chair.

“I can.”

“Do it, then.” 

Zoey moved over to the second chair which was on the other side of the fire to Rythian’s chair and sat herself down. Rythian was no longer hiding behind his chair, but he had not come any closer to Zoey, or made any indication that he himself was going to sit down.

“You don’t believe in me.” Zoey said, staring at Rythian.

“I don’t.”

“What evidence would you have of me beyond that of your senses?” She inquired.

“I don’t know.”

“Why do you doubt your senses?”

“Because a little thing affects then. A slight disorder of the stomach makes them cheat. You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato. There’s more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!”

Zoey suddenly stood up and yelled loudly towards Rythian, who ran back behind his chair and hid, although as his body shook it was clear it was shaking from laughter than from fear.

“Dreadful apparition, why do you trouble me?” There was a tremble in his voice and he was working hard to keep the smile from his face.

“It is required of every man that his spirit should walk among his fellowmen and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes forth not in life, it is condemned to do so after death. My spirit never walked beyond the narrow limits of our money-changing home…” Zoey lamented, loudly and dramatically as she waved her arms in the air.

“You were always a good man of business, Jacob…” Rythian said having managed to compose himself once more and was poking out from behind the chair.

“Business?!” Zoey exclaimed, throwing her hands up into the air, causing Rythian to have to stop himself from laughing once more. “Mankind was my business! The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, benevolence, were all my business! The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!” 

Rythian was on his knees behind his chair as his body shook with silent laughter. Zoey glanced backwards off the stage.

“I am here tonight to warn you that you have yet a chance and hope of escaping my fate, Ebenezer.” Zoey said, staring over at Rythian who had finally climbed to his feet and got his laughter under control. “You will be haunted by three spirits.”

“Is that the chance and hope you mentioned, Jacob? I think I’d rather not.”

“Expect the first tonight when the bell tolls one. Expect the second when the bell tolls two. The third, more mysterious, will appear in his own time.” Zoey raised her arms up and the chains by the side of the stage were rattled again as she began to walk backwards. “Look to see me no more; and look that you remember what has passed between us!”

Zoey kept walking backwards, the chains rattling loudly, until she had vanished into the darkness at the edge of the stage. Rythian, who had been staring at Zoey all this time, slowly moved around to the front of his chair and sat down heavily in it.

“Humbug…” He muttered softly before he closed his eyes and let his head nod.

Silence filled the air for a few moments. Then suddenly, without warning, there was a loud bong. The noise made both Rythian and the audience jump. As the ringing of the noise faded away, Rythian got up from his chair and glanced around. 

“Expect the first at one? Well? Where are you?” Rythian asked, still looking around.

Suddenly there was a bright flash of light, and when the audience next looked, a smaller woman was standing on the stage, wearing a beautiful white flowing dress, and a pure white mist was billowing out from the bottom of the dress, giving the woman the appearance of floating. This was the first ghost, who many recognised as Duncan’s apprentice, Kim.

“Ah! Are you the spirit whose coming was told to me?” Rythian had shielded his eyes from the bright light and only now began to lower his hands down.

“I am.” Kim’s voice appeared to have an echo of a thousand different voices to it.

“Who and what are you?”

“I am the Ghost of Christmas Past.”

“Long past?”

“No. Your past.”

“What business brings you here?”

“Your welfare. Come.” 

Kim reached out her hand and Rythian gingerly took a hold of it. There was another bright flash of light and when this faded, Kim and Rythian had vanished. The people dressed in black had scurried back onto the stage and were changing the scene yet again, taking away the fireplace and chairs that had been a part of Scrooge’s bedroom. Suddenly, a whole group of people, laughing and talking together ran onto the stage. Someone with a violin went and stood in one of the front corners of the stage and began playing as the people on the stage began dancing merrily together, continuing to laugh and talk. Rythian and Kim appeared at the back of the stage, looking out over the festivities.

“Scrooge suddenly found himself looking out upon a christmas party that had been thrown by a man called Fezziwig. Scrooge, in his youth, had been apprenticed to Fezziwig, and looking out at the party he suddenly remembered the fun, laughter, merriment and enjoyment that he had experienced during these parties that old Fezziwig threw.” Wren spoke up, her voice carrying over the music of the violin. 

“A small matter to make these silly folks so full of gratitude. He has spent but a few pounds of your mortal money. Is that so much that he deserves this praise?” Kim said, the voices echoing as she swept her hand out, gesturing at the dancing and merriment happening before them.

“It isn’t that!” Rythian objected. “He has the power to make up happy or unhappy; to make our service light or burdensome; a pleasure or a toil. The happiness he gives is quite as great as if it cost a fortune!” Kim was smiling at Rythian and he suddenly stopped, looking up at Kim. “What?”

“Nothing. Come. Let us see another Christmas.”

The same bright flash of light filled the stage and in a moment all the people dancing and laughing had vanished and in their place was a young woman stood in the centre of the stage, next to a young man who looked remarkably like Rythian. A sad and heartbroken expression instantly filled Rythian’s face as he gazed out across the scene.

“Another idol has displaced me. A golden one.” The young woman said softly.

“What? No!” The young man said, reaching out to take hold of the woman’s hand. “I am not changed towards you. Have I ever sought release from our engagement?”

“In words, no. Never.”

“In what, then?”

“In a changed nature, in an altered spirit. Can I believe that you would choose a dowerless girl? I release you, Ebenezer. With a full heart, for the love of him you once were.”

“Remove me from this place, Spirit!” Rythian said, turning angrily towards Kim. “Haunt me no longer!”

Rythian started to grapple with Kim, whirling across the stage in a cloud of bright white mist. When the mist cleared, Rythian was alone on the stage and only a single chair remained. Wearily, Rythian sat himself down in the chair, closed his eyes and let his head fall upon his chest. A few moments of silence passed before the same loud bong as before rang out, twice this time. Rythian jerked awake in his chair as a loud laugh filled the air, and walking down from the back of the stage dressed in a resplendent green cloak trimmed in white fur came Simon, a wreath of holly and ivy resting on his head, and in his hand he held a beautiful silver torch with flames flickering brightly at the top. Simon’s laugh was as jolly as it was loud and many of the audience members found themselves smiling as they watched the dwarf approach Rythian.

“Merry Christmas, man! Come in, and know me better! I am the Ghost of Christmas Present!” Simon’s voice was loud and booming and Rythian stood up and took a few cautious steps towards Simon. “Touch my robe.” Simon commanded. 

Rythian reached out and took hold of Simon’s green robe. The pair began moving forwards slowly as behind them, the people in black changed the scene yet again, setting out a table and chairs and a collection of people gathered around, with Duncan sitting at the head of the table. And on Duncan’s right hand side was the alpha of the pack himself, Alph. Simon and Rythian stepped to the side as Wren began to narrate again.

“Scrooge found himself this time in the home of his clerk, Bob Cratchit, where a small Christmas dinner was being served among the five children, his wife and himself. Scrooge was rather surprised to see such a small goose to feed such a large number of people, but he was sternly reminded by the Ghost of Christmas Present that it was all Bob Cratchit could afford.” Wren fell silent and Duncan stood up, holding a small mug up in the air.

“A toast, to Mr. Scrooge!” Duncan announced loudly as Rythian straightened himself up and puffed his chest out importantly. “The Founder of the Feast!"

“The Founder of the Feast indeed!” Said the woman who was playing as Mrs. Cratchit, known to some in the audience as Fiona. “I wish I had him here, I’d give him a piece of my mind to feast upon!” She said sulkily.

“My dear, the children! Christmas day.” Duncan said, lowering his glass a fraction.

“It should be Christmas day!”

“Christmas day.” Was Duncan’s quiet reply. Fiona sighed.

“I’ll drink his health for your sake and the day’s sake. Not for his.” Fiona stood, raising her glass up followed by the other people sat around the table, aside from Alph. “A merry Christmas and a happy New Year! He’ll no doubt be very merry and very happy.” Fiona then took a drink from her glass as everyone else around the table took a drink also. Alph was the last to drink and he waited until everyone had drank and then tipped his head back and downed it.

“And a merry Christmas to us all!” Duncan said, raising his glass into the air, and everyone around the table echoed Duncan’s words.

“And God bless us, every one!” Alph screamed loudly, causing nearly everyone on the stage to cover their ears.

“Let us see another Christmas at another home!” Simon announced loudly, once the ringing from Alph’s  screams had faded from their ears.

Rythian took hold of Simon’s robe once more and the pair moved slowly across the stage as the scene behind them whirled once more, with a gathering of people standing around, talking and laughing together, similar to the scene from Scrooge’s past with the party hosted by Old Fezziwig. This time though, Zach, as Scrooge’s nephew, was standing in the centre of the room with his arm around the waist of a pregnant woman, that many people knew to be Zach’s wife, Hope.

“Scrooge was now surprised to find himself in his nephew’s house, looking out on what appeared to be the Christmas party that Scrooge himself had been invited to. As he watched the party unfurl, with games and laughter and singing, he began to feel a longing and wished he could join in with them. That was, until he became the butt of their joke within the games. Then the Spirit took Scrooge on a walk through the city, and everywhere they went they saw people with smiles on their faces and heard laughter in the air. And eventually the pair ended up alone in the graveyard.” 

As Wren spoke, the people on the stage slowly dispersed, laughing and talking to each other until only Rythian and Simon remained, standing in the middle of the stage. Simon looked around and sighed.

“Here I must leave you, for my time has come.” He announced. Rythian turned to him with horror on his face.

“What? Here? Now? Can’t you at least take me back to my room?” Simon laughed loudly before he turned and began walking away.

“Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!”

“Spirit! Wait!” 

But Simon was gone and Rythian was alone. At the back of the stage, an ominous black mist began to grow  and swell and out of the darkness appeared a tall hooded figure. No one could see into the shadows underneath the hood to discern who it was who was playing this spirit. The figure approached Rythian quietly and stopped dead behind him. Rythian whirled around and saw the spirit for the first time.

“Are you the third spirit, of whom I was told about? The dark spectre said nothing, and did nothing. “I presume you are the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come?” Once again the spirit said nothing, the dark mist billowing around the stage. There was an air of anticipation in the audience, almost like they were holding their breath. “If you will not speak to me, then lead on!”

The figure raised one single arm and pointed towards a dark corner of the stage where a group of men had gathered. They were huddled together and clearly having a conversation, so Rythian sidled closer to listen in on what they were saying. The spirit followed behind Rythian, silently.

“I don’t know much about it either way. I only know he’s dead.” One of the men said.

“When did he die?” Asked another.

“Last night, I believe.” The first replied.

“What has he done with his money?” Another man asked, leaning forwards.

“I haven’t heard. Company, perhaps. He hasn’t left it to me, that’s all I know!” The first man said once more. “Well, gentlemen. Good night, and merry Christmas!” 

The other two men murmured ‘Merry Christmas’ also and the three vanished off the stage. Rythian turned to the spirit and frowned.

“What was the meaning of that conversation, Spirit? And why did those men not respect the man who had died?”

Again the spirit remained completely silent. It raised an arm and pointed to the other side of the stage where a woman stood with a bundle of fabrics next to an old man. Rythian wandered over, followed once more by the ever silent spirit.

“If he wanted to keep them after he was dead, wicked old screw, why wasn’t he more natural in his lifetime? If he had been, he’d have had somebody to look after him when he was struck with death, instead of lying gasping out his last there, alone by himself.” The woman said, obviously gossiping about another dead man. Perhaps the same one. And it was clear that Rythian was beginning to think that maybe it was the same man.

“It’s the truest word that was ever spoken.” The man replied. The woman shoved the bundle of fabrics towards the man.

“Open that bundle, old Joe, and let me know the value of it!” The woman said as the spirit stepped in front of Rythian and pointed it’s arm once more.

Rythian turned, and behind him, in the centre of the stage, was a gravestone, with artificial snow hiding the name of the person to whom the gravestone belonged. The same dark mist that seemed to follow the spirit around was billowing around the gravestone as Rythian slowly made his way towards the stone, the woman and the man at the side of the stage vanishing into darkness, leaving Rythian and the spirit alone on the stage. Rythian stopped a few feet away from the gravestone and suddenly turned to the spirit.

“Before I draw nearer to that stone to which you point, answer me one question. Are these the shadows of things that will be, or are they the shadows of the things that may be only?” Silence.

Rythian swallowed and turned back to face the gravestone. He took a couple more steps closer and held out his hand, about to brush the snow from the surface of the grave. He paused for a moment before he took a deep breath and brushed the snow away. The snow fell from the gravestone and revealed a name etched into the stone. The letters were so large and clear, that even those in the back of the audience could read the name: EBENEZER SCROOGE. Rythian let out a cry and turned to face the spirit, falling onto his knees.

“No, Spirit! No, no! Spirit, hear me! I am not the man I was! Why show me this, if I am past all hope? Assure me that I yet may change these shadows you have shown me by an altered life!” Rythian begged. And for the first time, the spirit moved slowly, nodding it’s head ever so slightly. “Oh thank you! Thank you! I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will like in the past, the present and the future. The spirits of all three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!” 

And as Rythian finished speaking the dark mist rose up and entirely shrouded the stage in darkness. A murmur ran around the audience as silence filled the air and the dark mist swirled. Slowly, the mist cleared and as it did, the sound of church bells filled the air and the scene of Rythian asleep in his chair by the fireplace became clear on the stage once more. Wren slowly walked across the stage until she was in the centre. She looked out on the audience, making sure she had their full attention before she began speaking.

“When Scrooge awoke, he found it to be Christmas day.” Behind her, Rythian arose from his chair as the people in black scurried onto the stage for one last time, clearing away the chairs and the fireplace. “And Scrooge was indeed true to his word. He did honour the spirits of Christmas, all the year round. To the people who knew him, he became as good a friend as any of them had ever known. And as Tiny Tim had observed:” The rest of the cast had come out onto the stage and were standing behind Wren in full force.

“Merry Christmas, and God bless us, every one!” The entire cast shouted out.

Applause rose into the air, and some people even stood as they clapped. Those on the stage bowed once, bowed again, and bowed a third time before they finally left the stage and the lights were switched back on and people began dispersing. Congratulations were given to the people who had performed, and soon the only people who were left were Simon and Lewis, and a couple of the werewolves. The werewolves were talking among each other as Simon and Lewis sat on the stage, Simon swinging his legs as they looked out over the sea of empty chairs. 

“I think that went pretty well, friend. Don’t you?” Lewis asked as he smiled slightly. He was still wearing the black cloak that he had worn for the third spirit. And Simon was still proudly wearing his green robe.

“It was great, Lewis!” Simon gushed.

“I’m glad!”

The pair sat for another few minutes. Eventually the werewolves left and they were truly alone.

“Well, we should probably go to sleep, it’s getting pretty late. Merry Christmas, friend.” Lewis said, jumping off the stage. Simon followed him and when Lewis turned around to face him, Simon pulled Lewis into a spine crushing hug, almost lifting Lewis off the floor.

“Merry Christmas, spaceman!” Simon said loudly before he put Lewis down, who gasped for breath. “I’ll see you tomorrow, spaceman.” He said cheerily as he trotted over to the lift, Lewis following behind.

“Get here bright and early, Simon, we need to clear all this away.” Lewis said, grinning. Simon snorted as he pressed the button for the lift.

“Yeah right. I’ll see you tomorrow at midday.” Lewis chuckled slightly. The lift pinged and the doors opened. Simon walked inside and pressed the button for the ground floor. “See ya tomorrow, spaceman!” He cried out, waving at Lewis as the doors began to close.

“See you tomorrow, Simon, and get home safe!” Lewis said, waving back at Simon. 

The doors closed, and the lift began to descend. And Lewis made his way up to his room. And outside the windows of Yoglabs, small white snowflakes began falling from the sky and settled on the ground, transforming the city with a blanket of snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!


	2. Pride Parade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say, that in this universe, Lewis is bisexual with a preference for men (and a crush on Rythian) and Rythian is very much a bisexual in denial who only ever becomes openly bi when he's completely drunk. The two never become an actual pairing in the story, but occasionally if they're both very drunk, they like to enjoy each other's company ;)
> 
> Also, Zoey and Fiona aren't trying to out Rythian by giving him a Bi flag - they give him a different flag to wear every parade, because with how much in denial he's in, he sees himself as an ally and is willing to wear whatever flag the pair get for him - this time it just happened to be the Bi flag.

Sunlight was burning down onto the ground and there wasn’t a cloud to be seen in the sky. A perfect day for the annual Datlof Pride Parade. The parade wasn’t due to start for another couple of hours, but people were already filling the streets, decked out in flags, make up and glitter and there was a jovial atmosphere in the air. Music was being played from a set of speakers, so loud that Rythian could hear it from inside Zoey and Fiona’s apartment. Zoey and Fiona were getting themselves decked out in their finery, giggling like children as they painted rainbow flags onto each other’s faces, and put glitter in their hair. Rythian was leaning by the window, holding a mug of coffee as he watched the pair, smiling slightly. He enjoyed the Pride Parade, if only for how happy it made Zoey and Fiona.

“Come on, Rythian, your turn!” Zoey sang as she skipped over to Rythian, brandishing the face paints she’d been using on Fiona. Rythian held up at hand at her as she came to a stop in front of him.

“You know I don’t do face paints, Zoey.” He replied with a small smile.

“Pleeeeeeease?!” Fiona stood up and joined Zoey, wrapping her arms around her waist.

“Come on, Ryth, just a little rainbow on your cheek?” She said, grinning up at Rythian.

“You’re already using me as a flagpole, why do I need face paint too?” He wasn’t too bothered if they got their way, although he’d prefer not to let them go completely wild. 

“Being a flagpole is a requirement if your tall, and you’re tall, so your job is now flagpole. But you could be a decorative flagpole too!” Zoey explained, still brandishing the face paint. “Now come down here so I can paint your face.”

Rythian let out a long sigh before he pushed himself off from the wall and went to sit down on the sofa, Zoey following after him, physically bouncing up and down with how excited she was.

“Don’t go overboard.” He warned her as he sat himself down. “One rainbow only.” He knew he was being a little optimistic. Now that he’d given her an inch, she’d take a mile.

With an intense look of concentration on her face, Zoey began painting on Rythian’s right cheek as Fiona watched, a smile on her face. After a few moments, she murmured something to Zoey that Rythian didn’t quite hear. Zoey grinned and nodded in response.

“I was gonna do that anyway, cause it’d match!” She said eagerly. Rythian frowned at the pair.

“Does whatever you’re doing fall under the category of ‘one rainbow’?” He asked, looking sternly at Zoey. She grinned at him in response before moving to his left cheek.

“I’m just making sure you match! That’s all!” She said as she began painting again as Fiona grinned. 

“Match what?” Rythian was slightly scared of the answer.

“Match the flags you’ll be wearing!” Zoey replied. He sighed as Zoey finished painting whatever she had been painting, and took a step back to look at her handiwork.

“Perfect.” Fiona grinned and gave Zoey a quick kiss on her cheek.

“All done?” He enquired. Zoey nodded before running off and coming back a few moments later bearing flags in her arms.

“Here you go Rythian!” She announced, pushing two flags towards him, keeping two for herself and Zoey.

Rythian took the flags from Zoey and looked them over. One was the standard rainbow flag, the other he didn’t recognise. It had three stripes, one pink, a thinner purple stripe in the middle, and the last stripe was blue. Although he didn’t recognise it, he didn’t bother asking them which one it was. Zoey and Fiona made him wear different flags every year, and he couldn’t keep track of which ones were which. He stood up and tied the rainbow flag around his waist, before tying the new flag around his shoulders like a cape. Zoey and Fiona had both tied their flags like capes around their shoulders too. Rythian recognised the pink lesbian flag that Zoey was wearing, and Fiona was wearing the traditional rainbow flag, which matched her headband, keeping her long curly hair back from her face.

“All ready?” Rythian asked the pair.

“Yep.” Fiona responded with a grin, her arm around Zoey’s waist.

“Alright, let’s go.”

The trio headed out of the flat, Zoey and Rythian waiting while Fiona locked up. Once the flat was secured, they headed down the lift and out onto the street below. As soon as they walked through the doors to the outside, they were hit with a blast of sunlight and heat and Rythian felt a frown forming on his face. To him, the heat felt oppressive, and the sunlight almost seemed to prickle uncomfortably on his skin. Years living in Datlof had done little to increase his tolerance of sunlight, and today would be incredibly uncomfortable for him. But he knew that Zoey and Fiona would take breaks in shaded areas with him so it didn’t become unbearable. 

Almost instantly, the trio were swept along by the crowd of people in the streets, laughter, chatter and music filling the air as flags of all colours were waved about, and everywhere you looked rainbows could be seen. The energy and excitement in the crowd was almost overwhelming as people danced through the streets, flocking together towards the centre of the city where the parade would begin. Rythian wasn’t wearing his mask, aside from the fact that Zoey and Fiona would refuse to let him wear if after they’d painted flags on his cheeks, today was the one day where people didn’t stare at him like an outsider. There were so many sights and sounds and colours, that people barely noticed his differences, and it was nice to be able to leave his mask at home. As they drew closer to the castle, a shout through the crowd from a familiar voice made the trio turn. After some searching through the crowds, they quickly found who had called them.

Simon beamed up at the trio, his hands on his hips as his rainbow flag cape almost drowned him. He’d sectioned off his beard into six and plaited into it coloured scraps of fabric to make up the rainbow.

“Simon you look fabulous!” Fiona announced as she smiled down at him.

“Hello!” He said cheerily.

“Is Lewis not coming with you?” Zoey asked, glancing around the crowd to try and catch a glimpse of Lewis.

“I’m meeting him at the castle. He had stuff to do in Yoglabs.” Simon explained, ploughing forwards through the crowds, his rainbow cape trailing on the floor behind him, Zoey and Fiona keeping pace with him. As Rythian followed after them, he wondered how no one stood on Simon’s cape, or how the dwarf didn’t trip over it himself. “Want a drink, Rythian?” Simon offered, producing a couple of bottles of beer from seemingly nowhere.

“Well…” Rythian hesitated as he thought about it. While he enjoyed having a drink every so often, he had to be incredibly careful with how much he drank as it only took a small amount of alcohol to get him blackout drunk. And that wasn’t a state he wanted to get into today.

“Go on, this is real dwarven beer I’ve been saving for a special occasion!” Rythian gave Simon a smile.

“Don’t you want to share it with Lewis?”

“Nah, Lewis doesn’t appreciate dwarven beer. It’s wasted on him.” Simon replied, opening one bottle and taking a swig from it.

“And you don’t think it’d be lost on me?” Rythian queried, knowing that Simon knew of his famously low alcohol tolerance.

“I know you’ll enjoy it more than Lewis, even if you don’t appreciate exactly how good it is!” Simon announced, pushing the second bottle into Rythian’s hand. 

Rythian inspected the bottle for a moment before he sighed and opened it, taking a small sip from it. The first thing that Rythian noticed was how incredibly strong the beer was. If he wasn’t careful, he wouldn’t last ten minutes drinking it. But after the initial blast of alcohol wore off, he got a strong taste of hops and a flavour that was rich and full. He didn’t know a lot about beer, but even he could tell this was good beer.

“Like it?” Simon asked, grinning up at Rythian.

“I’ll have to be careful drinking this, Simon.” Rythian replied. “But yes, it’s very good.” Simon’s grin grew as he downed some more of his own bottle.

“Relax a little, Ryth. Have some fun!” Simon advised, before swiftly moving on through the crowd before Rythian got a chance to explain that blackout drunk wasn’t fun, and usually ended up in severe embarrassment for him.

After a quick glance around the crowds, Rythian found Zoey and Fiona and moved over to them, taking another sip from the bottle. Despite the strength of the alcohol, it was incredibly drinkable, and he was worried he’d end up completely drunk. He’d offer some to Zoey and Fiona, but Fiona didn’t drink and Zoey didn’t particularly like beer, so that’d be a no from both of them.

“Rythian! What’s that?” Zoey asked, noticing the bottle in Rythian’s hand as he approached them.

“Simon gave me some dwarven beer.” Fiona eyed the bottle slightly suspiciously.

“If it’s dwarven, it’s bound to be strong. Be careful with that, Rythian.” Fiona warned, and he nodded.

“I know.” He replied.

After another drink, he looked at how much was gone from the bottle. To his horror, he’d already had a third of the bottle. But the good news was he wasn’t feeling drunk yet. Although that could strike at any moment, and it’d go swiftly downhill from there. They rounded a corner and came face to face with the castle, and Yoglabs looming behind it. The crowd here was thick and heavy, the noise and excitement reaching a crescendo. Glancing around, Rythian could see large groups of police officers patrolling, keeping an eye on the crowds and ready to sort out any situations that might arise. Another glance around caught sight of Hannah perching in a tree that gave her a good view of the crowds. Rainbow tatters had been tied into her hair and gently laced through her wings and Rythian knew she’d been keeping a close eye on the celebrations throughout the day, helping the police in making sure everyone stayed safe.

Rythian stumbled slightly, and the world tipped a little more than it should have as he regained his balance. There was a numbness creeping up his legs, and looking at the bottle, he was shocked to see that he’d now drunk over half the bottle. 

“Damn you, Simon.” Rythian muttered, trying to find somewhere to put down the bottle before he drank it all and slipped past the point of no return. However, he was trapped in a sea of people with nowhere he could put the bottle down. And he could quickly feel himself becoming more and more drunk. Damn, that dwarven beer was incredibly strong.

* * *

 

“Lewis! Down here!” 

Lewis spun around in the crowd for a few moments before he caught sight of Simon waving his arms and beaming up at him.

“Hello, friend!” 

Lewis had painted two bisexual flags on his cheeks, and he had draped the bisexual flag over his shoulders. Beside him his werewolf bodyguard, Lexie, was almost drowning in the number of flags she was wearing. She was trying to keep her expression neutral, almost borderline bored, but she couldn’t quite hide the smile that was trying to creep onto her lips as the atmosphere got to her. Of course, she was here to make sure nothing bad happened to Lewis, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy herself too.

“Lewis! Simon!” Fiona waved at them as she pulled Zoey through the crowds to reach them.

“Hiya everyone!” Zoey beamed as they reached them. “Lexie! You’re here too!” Lexie gave Zoey a smile.

“I’ve got to make sure, Mr. Mayor here doesn’t get into too much trouble.” She said elbowing Lewis gently. “But I would have come anyway, even if I didn’t have babysitting duty.” She grinned as Lewis tried to look offended and failed.

“Wait, where’s Rythian?” Simon asked, glancing around to try to catch sight of him.

“He was right behind us…” Fiona trailed off as she began looking around as well. “Oh, wait, there he is!” She pointed him out as he made his way swiftly towards the small group. “Wait, is he drunk already?”

Fiona’s question was answered a moment later as Rythian pushed through the crowds, staggering ever so slightly, and grabbed hold of Lewis, pulling him into a kiss as everyone stared. For a moment, Lewis was frozen still with shock, but he quickly reciprocated the kiss as everyone stared. The crowds immediately around the small group had frozen as they stared at they Mayor kissing a well known vigilante, before cheers erupted and phones came out and started taking photos of the pair. Lexie wore an expression of complete shock on her face for a few moments, her hands slowly raising up before running through her hair. Once Simon had registered what was happening, he had fallen to the ground, laughing loudly, tears running down his cheeks. Zoey and Fiona were torn between cheering along with the crowd, and also being completely horrified that Rythian had become so drunk in such a short space of time and knowing they’d probably have to look after him.

“What do I do?” Lexie murmured, still staring at the pair. 

On the one hand, Rythian was completely drunk and this probably wasn’t ok because Rythian was drunk and Lewis wasn’t. On the other hand, Rythian had started the kiss, and Lewis seemed perfectly happy to continue the kiss. And on the other, other hand, this was a pride parade, and would it be seen as hate to split them up. Beside her, still lying on the floor, Simon managed to stop laughing long enough to pull out his phone and take a number of photos. The kiss between Rythian and Lewis was getting more intense as time went on, and Lexie was hoping that Lewis would have enough sense to stop before things got more out of hand. Just before she thought she was going to have to step in and stop them herself, something she really didn’t want to do, Lewis pulled away from Rythian, his eyes shining brightly and a grin on his face he couldn’t keep down.

“Well, that was unexpected and lovely, Rythian, but you’re a little too drunk for this to be ok.” Lewis said, attempting to push Rythian away slightly. Lexie stepped in at that point, shifting to her wolf man form, her fur glinting in the bright sunlight, and gently manhandled Rythian away from Lewis. She could smell alcohol on Rythian’s breath, but not enough that it was overpowering, incredibly glad that he was a lightweight, because alcohol was not a pleasant smell as a wolf man.

“I was worried you weren’t going to stop there, Sir, and I was going to have to stop things from going any further.” Lewis grinned at Lexie.

“I have some self control.” Lexie snorted.

“No you don’t, Sir.” 

“Oh, lord, is Rythian ok?” Fiona asked, moving a little closer to Rythian, Zoey following. Lexie nodded.

“Just drunk. I’ll get some of the pack to take him back to the castle and look after him there.” She said. She didn’t want anyone to miss the parade because of needing to keep an eye on Rythian, but she knew there were a couple of werewolves who weren’t hugely bothered about it, and they’d be happy enough to look after him until it was over and he could be taken home.

“Here, I’ll take him while you call the pack.” Fiona offered, wrapping her arm around Rythian’s waist and taking him from Lexie, allowing her to shift back to her human self and pull out a phone to call the pack with. 

Rythian clearly hadn’t had enough with the one kiss and was drunkenly trying to get back to Lewis, who was still beaming from ear to ear. After a brief conversation on the phone, Lexie hung up and not long after, a couple of werewolves made their way through the crowd and gently led Rythian away.

“He’ll be alright with them.” Lexie assured, although no one doubted that he wouldn’t be. “Shall we continue with the parade? If I’m not mistaken, you have to start this parade going, Sir.”

“Indeed I do.” Lewis replied before making his way over to a small podium with a microphone to start the parade, the grin still plastered firmly on his face.

* * *

 

Rythian groaned as he rolled over in his bed. His head was absolutely pounding and he could barely remember anything from yesterday. Damn Simon and his dwarven beer. After a few moments of staying where he was with his arm draped over his face, he pushed himself up and winced as the pounding in his head increased. Slowly, with one hand at his forehead, he made his way out of his room and into the kitchen, rooting out some painkillers and getting himself a glass of water. As he swallowed the tablets, he heard a knock on the door, and Zoey’s voice calling through. Rythian walked to the door, feeling dread well up inside him. No doubt he’d hear whatever he got up to yesterday now. Gingerly, he opened the door.

“Hey, Zoey.” He murmured. Zoey was beaming from ear to ear and she held a copy of the day’s newspaper in her hands.

“You’ve made the front page, Rythian!” She announced loudly, dancing past him into his apartment. Rythian felt a chill run through him. He’d made the front page?

“What?” He asked, closing the door, and following Zoey into the kitchen, hoping he’d heard her wrong.

“You’ve made the front page! Look!” She placed the newspaper down on the table where a large headline declared **MAYOR AND VIGILANTE SHARE KISS AT PRIDE PARADE** and immediately underneath a large photo of Lewis and Rythian kissing surrounded by the crowds of people decked out in their pride clothing.

“Oh no.” Rythian whispered, staring at the paper. “This is a joke, right?” He asked weakly, looking up at Zoey. She shook her head, still grinning.

“Nope. You swayed right up to him and swept him up in a kiss. It certainly caught the attention of everyone there.”

“Oh god.” Rythian buried his head in his hands. He’d never be able to look Lewis in the face again, or show his face in public.

“Still convinced you’re straight?” Zoey asked, a hint of mischievousness in her voice.

“Shut up.” Rythian mumbled from behind his hands.

“Thought not.”


	3. What Lurks In The Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a little bit of a spooky story, based mostly on some OCs that have been created for the world of Datlof. These characters haven't been introduced in the main story yet (and won't be for a long time) and all you really need to know is that Lexie was hired by Lewis to be a bodyguard when the pack left the castle for a short period, and decided to stay when the pack returned, and Bob helped her out of a sticky situation when no other officer would help and the two remained friends and then eventually became a couple.
> 
> As for the earth tremor - canonically within the story that 'tremor' was caused by Sips and Sjin setting off a huge bomb in some caves just outside of Datlof (in a reference to The Bomb)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written by my very talented friend, so any thanks should go to her not me! (I will pass along all comments to her, don't worry!)
> 
> **WARNINGS:** Violence, blood, injury and references to recreational drug use.

It was an unusually bright Autumn evening, the sky free of clouds and revealing a deep red sunrise. It was a rare end to the day, Datlof was usually grey, the weather varying from a light drizzle to a heavy downpour, and all variations in between. It had rained all morning, leaving puddles on the roads and pavements, now reflecting the brilliant sky above. It was a wonderful sight, to everyone who could enjoy it. The police station sat in the sight of Yoglabs. The station was a large, new addition to the city. Newly built, or rebuilt to be exact. Due to why could only be described as a huge earth tremor, most of the city had to be rebuilt. Earthquakes were usually unheard of, especially those of such a destructive calibre, and countless lives were lost. However, Datlof was always changing, always advancing. They recovered quickly, and while the old police station was reduced to rubble, beyond repair, a new and modern building rose from its ashes, so to say. A large structure, mainly composed of large and clear glass panes, allowing passers by to peek into the establishment, and also for members of staff to look out. Unfortunately, for officers still having to work inside the building, this meant that they had a clear view of the tantalising fresh air, and the beautiful sunset, without the promise of a peaceful walk home with the sun on their backs. They could enviously also watch other workers hurriedly make their way home, ready for a lazy, relaxing evening. 

However, the streets and roads were quiet now, the rush hour had been and gone. Hoards of workers leaving in the early evening and making their way back home. The roads were quiet and steady now, a large comparison from the midday rush, the innermost part of Datlof being home to the big businesses, high end shops, and most notable being the castle and Yoglabs. Countless talented scientists and workers made a living in the impressive and innovative building. Perhaps the most unusual passers by being Yoglabs' werewolves. While there were many packs of werewolves in Datlof, the highest percentage were found in Yoglabs itself. The mayor had a particular affinity for werewolves, and hired the largest pack of werewolves in Datlof. They often ran by on their way home, groups of them racing past the windows, seemingly tireless. Pelts ranging from stone grey, to russet red, to golden brown, and all sorts of colours in between. They were often the most interesting to watch pass by, an officer thought to himself, as he sat at his desk. 

The officer was young, only in his mid twenties, at least ten years younger than the other officers occupying the building that evening. He was of medium build, slim, and just under six foot tall. He had short, rich brown hair that sometimes shone russet in bright lights. He also sported stubble on his chin, as if he couldn't quite commit to growing a beard. Just like the other officers, he wore a royal blue uniform, the colour of Yoglabs, with a badge on the shoulder depicting his rank. His name was Robert, although very, very quickly acquired the nickname 'Bob', something that he didn't have a voice in choosing, although he soon accepted it as his new name. Bob had started working for the police force at a young age, joining immediately after finishing school, much to his family's dismay. While he got off to a rocky start, being the young and under confident rookie, often teased by his older colleagues, he managed to prove himself as a valuable and reliable member of the force, allowing himself to start rising through the ranks. While he was only 25, a lot of senior members treated him with a mutual respect, and often entrusted him with important tasks. He was also considered the 'werewolf expert' of the main team. While werewolves were just normal people, with normal friendships and relationships, they were often treated as second class citizens, or even considered to be monsters, by some. For any small werewolf related disturbances that the pack itself didn't have time to deal with, he was often the next best option. He wasn't a wolf-whisperer or anything trivial like that, he was just the only officer to speak to them as a being of equal value. Most of the time, it solved any disputes that were occurring. It was also no secret that he was close friends with the Mayor's personal bodyguard, Lexie, who was also a werewolf.

The evening dragged on, with little occurring. He and a small handful of officers were on duty that shift, and it wasn't long until the rounds of coffee started rolling out. While it kept the sleep at bay, it didn't keep the boredom away, and it certainly didn't speed the evening and night up. Deciding that he had completed more than enough paperwork to deserve a break, Bob leant back in his chair, resting his boots on the table, his eyelids drooping as he watched the sun start to set, kicking out a bright afterglow. 

It was the loud ringing of a station phone that shook him out of his dreamless slumber, causing his eyes to snap open and his feet flinging off the table with a thud. He needn't have worried though, as the phone was swiftly picked up by one of his colleagues, the phone ringing on their desk. A confident and almost robotic voice rang out in the office, replying to whoever was calling. However what was worrying, was that he had fallen asleep on the job, and he had prayed that no one had caught him. The extra panic of that shook off any sleep that he still harboured, and he checked his clock to the side of him. It was half seven, and the sun had completely set. Bob signed in relief, it'd only been just over half an hour, no one should have gotten up to walk past his desk, and the partition meant that no one else in the office could visibly see him. Rubbing the corner of his mouth, he wiped away a small trail of drool. _Oh that's attractive. Luckily no one saw me both sleeping on the job, and with my gob open... fuck._ A small, brightly coloured blue box sat at the front of his wide desk, neatly and purposefully placed. Next to it lay a note, held down by one of his pens. In a small but slightly scruffy handwriting, it read:

" _Thought I'd leave these with you, looks like you might need the sugar rush! Lexie x"_

Bob placed the note down, and held his head in his hands. Lexie often visited the station after work, being the mayor's bodyguard meant that she worked longer shifts than most of the staff, and often slightly varied. Jaffa cakes was the most common thing that the brought in to him, to his knowledge they were given to her by a well meaning friend, who forgot that werewolves and chocolate don't mix well together. Bob wasn't about to complain, both the prospect of food and her presence brightened up his evenings greatly. However, he had missed her visit today, and wasn't much for chatter, as he was too busy dribbling down his shirt. _Real smooth, man. Real smooth._

The mention of his name shook him out of his embarrassment, and he placed the note in his pocket, and peered around his partition into the main office. He spotted his co-worker on the phone, giving a thumbs up in his general direction. Bob put his hands in his pockets, absentmindedly scrunching up the paper between his fingers as he walked over and waited for the phone call to end. 

"Ok, don't worry, I'm going to send our specialist onto the job. Goodbye!" The officer finished, placing the phone back down, and grinning at Bob. At the mention of 'specialist', it immediately became clear to him that this was a werewolf case, and awaited his inevitable directions to a dark alleyway or deserted forest path to hunt down a wolf. 

"Ah Bob, I have a case for you. A couple of backpackers were hiking through the Dark Timberland, towards the hilly section, and they spotted a werewolf acting a bit, as they put it "unnerving and salkerish". They found themselves being followed by a werewolf, but it seemed to be more of a prank than anything. Any chance you could pop around and talk to the creepy bastard?" The officer, Walton, explained, with a cheerful yet no nonsense tone. 

Upon the mention of the Dark Timberland, Bob inwardly groaned. While he didn't mind the drive, it was part of the job of course, travelling around every alleyway and corner of the city and it's surrounding roads and forests, but that forest in particular, was one that most avoided. It wasn't haunted or anything like that, not that Bob was particularly cared for or believed in those sorts of stories anyway, it had a kind of suffocating atmosphere to it, the trees were tall and thin, but also the pathways were very narrow. The canopy was thick, and didn't let a lot of light through, meaning that it got dark very quickly there, and it was incredibly easy to get lost in. It was always an unpleasant experience. No officer liked it, it was common to get reports of missing persons from those woods, but Bob wasn't about to kick up a fuss. Walter was a superior officer, and no matter how well respected Bob was, you couldn't argue with someone of a higher rank, and also Bob knew that he would never hear the end of it if he mentioned that he didn't want to go. 

"Of course sir, I'll be on my way" he responded, after only a brief pause. 

"Oh, and don't forget a torch!" Walter added, with a good humoured smirk. 

Beginning to make his way to the supply room, Bob responded over his shoulder. "Oh don't worry, I'm bringing all I can carry!"

* * *

Ten minutes and four torches later, Bob had made his way to a police car, placed his backpack into the boot, and began the twenty minute drive to the forest. Due to the task at hand, he had brought a handgun. While he likely wouldn't need it, it was reassuring to carry. If there was a bear or a malevolent being lurking in the forest while he did his job, he didn't want to go out there unarmed. Open on the passenger seat, was the packet of Jaffa cakes, which he snacked on for the duration of the journey. Upon arrival, he parked his police car and retrieved his bag from the boot of the car. It was completely dark, the only light being the crescent moon hanging in the sky. Although it wasn't late at night, there was always something strange about forests at night, as if time stood still until the sun rose in the sky. Turning on a torch with a small click, Bob made his way up the trail, leading into the trees, where he knew would lead to the fork in the road, one leading further into the forest, and one leading up into the hills.

The forest was almost completely silent, save for a rush of wind that ruffled the leaves of the canopy, and made the branches sway. The air was cool and crisp, but was overridden by the sharp smells of the forest. Upon reaching the fork in the path, Bob turned left and headed up towards the higher ground. The trail was worn, yet rocky, and Bob had to focus on where he placed his feet to prevent himself from twisting an ankle or slipping on the loose rocks. As he travelled at a brisk pace, the trees began to thin out, revealing the sloped landscape, vast open fields of knee high grass. The thick and looming tree line bordered the far side, and towards the steep hill, the three peaks of vast rocky mounds framed the crescent moon. Only the most daring or experienced hikers took to those trails, they were too taxing to be enjoyed by casual outdoor explorers. 

However, as Bob walked out into the open, the atmosphere changed. The air was less suffocating, and the feeling of the trees closing in on him had disappeared entirely. But something decidedly more.. _unsettling..._ had taken its place. A new feeling of paranoia filled him from the very pit of his stomach, and he was suddenly very aware of exactly how dark it was. How vulnerable his back was. How little his torch lit up the vast plane in front of him. Bob took a sharp glance behind him, and took a long sigh as nothing was behind him, only darkness. He had to pull himself together, the worst thing out here was a troublemaker werewolf, and well, himself. Shaking his head at his own petty fears, he carried on up the grassy field, his torch cutting through the darkness. Bob stopped immediately as the bright beam was reflected back by two large eyes. He went cold, and stood prettified at the sight of a creature. It stood on its hind legs, at the base of the path that lead up to the rocky hills, a good 50 metres away from him. But even at that distance, he could see that this thing was tall, easily over 7 feet. It's arms were held low, about to its knees, and its shoulders were hunched and vast. But what caught Bob's attention the most, were the eyes. It was impossible not to stare back at them, and grow more and more horrified by the sight of it. 

Sucking in a deep breath, Bob shook his head. It's just a werewolf. They were easily that size, it's just your mind playing tricks on you. _Its just a werewolf. Just a werewolf. A fucking creepy bastard at that, but still a werewolf._ Taking a shaky step forward, Bob called out to it. 

"H-hey, hey!" His voice shook at first, but managed to project his voice over the field. The werewolf merely tilted its head slightly, the only indication that it had heard him. 

"Hey! I just want to talk to you!" He repeated, about to take another step as a noise washed over him. It sounded like a kind of hissing, but not a noise he'd heard any animal make, it was mixed with a kind of crackling that he'd heard from a radio. It seemed to grow more intense, and the werewolf on the hill tilted its head further, still gazing at him. Bob began to back away, heart pounding. _Oh fuck no, I don't care if that bastard is laughing at me, I am not dealing with this shit alone, at night, in a forest._ Eyes still locked on the werewolf, one hand clasping his torch, and one hand resting on his gun, he made it back to the tree line. It hasn't moved at all, it just watched him. Once trees blocked his vision, he spun around and began walking back down the path at a brisk pace, periodically glancing back over his shoulder. While the feeling of dread had left him now, he couldn't shake the sense that he was being watched, hunted, almost. After five or so minutes, Bob's heart rate hadn't slowed, but it was from exertion rather than fear now. There was no sign of the thing following him. _But that doesn't mean that it isn't... don't let your guard down._

Once Bob's head had cleared of the panic, he reached to his belt, meaning to use his radio. While he knew that he'd be teased for this, this wasn't something that he wanted to do alone. Even if it was just a werewolf. His hand found the empty space where his radio should have been. _Shit... I must have left it in the car... There's no phone service around here either._ Bob could only swear under his breath at his own incompetence, and at how _cliche_ the whole situation was. He'd just have to get back to the car as quickly as possible. 

It was very late at night now, but it felt darker than before. The trees felt more suffocating, surrounding in all directions. Bob couldn't relax completely, not after seeing that werewolf creature, he knew that it was still out there. His eyes strained in the darkness, where his torch wouldn't reach, and his ears seemed to pick up on noises that he wasn't sure were caused by anything other than the wind. Rustling leaves, the creaking of branches, the sound of crackling in the undergrowth. Bob froze, the crackling was more than just a rustle caused by a small creature or the wind, it sounded rhythmic, like footsteps. He desperately looked around at his surroundings for a place to hide and as quickly as he could, Bob dashed behind a large tree, cowering under the hollow of a wide sheltering root, making sure his torch was off, and his gun in his hand. He pressed his back against the bark, and tried to steady and quiet his ragged breathing. It was rare that Bob ever felt this terrified. As a police officer for Datlof, you were exposed to a plethora of violence, murderers, gang crimes, magic attacks, the lot. Through his years of work, he'd seen it all, and it was only the most brutal, most vicious and malicious of crimes that got any sort of response or emotional reaction from him. But this was different, this was unnatural and predatory, and even his gun didn't give the same kind of security as before. 

The footsteps got louder, and more uneven. Whatever it was, it sounded large, and was heading that for him. Twigs on the ground cracked and splintered under it's feet and leaves rustled violently. Bob was convinced that it was the werewolf creature, returning after following his trail, however something made him freeze and narrow his eyes, his fear ebbing quickly. He could hear hushed voices, and realised that the steps weren't uneven, it was two separate entities. Ears straining, he picked up on some of the conversation. 

"... too deep into the forest... path up ahead" Came the first voice, feminine, but with a distinct harsh edge to her voice, as it seemed to rumble and growl with different tones in words. 

"Hushh, we've... five minutes..." Was the response, a deeper voice, the voice rang out louder in the forest. 

"Hush yourself! We've been out here an hour!" The first voice snapped back, her voice a distinct animalistic snarl, fully clear now the small party was closer. 

With a sigh of relief, Bob clutched his torch. Bickering werewolves. Now this was something he was used to handling. They must be in wolf-man forms, which would explain the growl in their voices, and how large their strides sounded. That also meant that they'd be able to catch his scent, in fact he was surprised that they hadn't done already. But they were distracted with their bickering. 

"Y'know you could have just taken the stuff while in the Castle? A midnight stoner stroll wasn't necessary!" 

At that exclamation, Bob leapt to his feet, and with an agility that surprised even himself, leapt up back onto the trail, brandishing his torch. The two werewolves, barely 10 feet in front of him, yelped and staggered backwards. One figure recovered quickly, and let out a harsh growl, but the other couldn't regain balance, and grabbed ahold of it's packmate's waist, dragging them both down onto the forest floor with an ungraceful thump. Stepping forwards, Bob shone the torch down on the two, still tangled on the ground. One was a pale brown colour, with rough, wirey fur that seemed longer than usual. A wild mane sprouted in all directions around its neck, leaves and small twigs from the forest floor tangled deep within the fur. The werewolf clung almost comically to their companion, wrapping its long forearms around the other's waist, eyes squeezed shut and muzzle pressed into their shoulder. The other werewolf was grey, with a white belly and intricate white patterns on its face. This one was trying to prize their companion from its waist, but to no avail with now tightly its grip was. 

Bob shone his torch on their chests, below their faces so to not blind them from the glare of the bright light. "I apologise for the surprise, but I'm going to have to ask you two what you're doing in the forest at this time of night". He asked in a commanding voice, watching the two. The grey werewolf managed to prize themselves free with a swift kick, earning a yelp in response. Their form began to shift and shrink, and with the blink of an eye a young woman was sat in place of the wolf-man, brushing leaves from her long, blond hair. Her features, that were twisted into an angry snarl, sharp fangs bared and eyes reflecting the torch light, immediately softened and snapped back to human at the sight of his uniform, and at the authority in his voice. Bob offered out his hand, which earned a surprised look from the woman, before she grasped it with her own and jumped to her feet. 

The woman coughed once, visibly nervous. "Er, well... training?" She responded, the lie obvious, looking up at Bob's stern face. "Yeah... my packmate back there is... stoned off his stupid tits" She admitted, with an annoyed glance at her friend, still on the floor, inspecting leaves and mumbling to himself. 

Bob could tell that she was younger than him, maybe around twenty, but not much shorter than him. Avoiding his gaze, she reached up to her ear, clasping at the moon charm there.

"Oh no, it's fine, don't bother" Bob exclaimed, waving his hand. It was an old custom that werewolves were to remove their moon charms when confronted by the police, not on a full moon, obviously, but it was a way to almost unarm themselves, lest they be seen as a threat. Something that never had a positive outcome.Not many police officers expected it nowadays, most who carried on the custom had been fired for unprofessional or discriminatory behaviour- some even had the pleasure of being fired by the mayor himself, for refusing to protect civilians on the sole basis that they were werewolves. However, even under the threat of unemployment, some police officers did expect it, and it's better to be safe than sorry with these kinds of matters. Bob himself certainly didn't enforce it, and he also felt safer around werewolves in general, they had amazing senses, and a heightened instinct for danger. He'd seen it in action many times, and every werewolf that served the mayor made a trustworthy ally. _But I may be slightly biased..._

_"_ Tell me, what're your names?" Bob asked, glancing at the pair. 

"Mia" The woman in front of him responded. "And that one is called Lucas". She explained, gesturing to the wolf-man still on the floor, who now seemed to be gazing at something in the undergrowth, without actually looking at him. 

"My name is Bob, I'm an officer for Datlof metropolitan" He announced, flashing his official ID. 

"That's a pretty name!" Responded Lucas, still a wolf-man, who had now managed to keep interest in the conversation for long enough to know partly what was going on. He attempted to get to his feet, seemingly having trouble on his long legs. 

Bob noticed the wolf-man's predicament, and stepped forward, offering a hand like he had done before, fully expecting Lucas to shift back into a human to be pulled up. However, instead of a human hand grasping his own, Bob was offered a huge wolf-man paw. Long, slender fingers and vicious talons fully enveloped his own human hand. With a grunt, he heaved Lucas awkwardly to his feet, where he towered easily over a foot over Bob, whose head only just reached Lucas's shoulder. Bob shone his torch at the wolf-man's face, and it was incredibly obvious that drugs were affecting Lucas, if his unusually large pupils, visible even as a wolf, weren't enough of a giveaway, the _smell_ certainly sealed the deal. 

"I'm going to have to ask you both to come with me back to the station, after we've found your friend" Bob said, moving the torch away from Lucas. 

"Our friend? It's only us two." Lucas said with confusion evident, tilting his head. Something that Mia confirmed with nod. 

Bob felt himself go cold, from his head right down to his feet. With the appearance of the two werewolves, he'd assumed that the creature he'd seen earlier was a companion of theirs, also out on a ' _midnight stoner stroll'_. It had explained the odd and unsettling behaviour of the creature.

"Do you know of any other werewolves in the forest at this time?" He persisted, his distress evident in his voice. 

"No... we're fairly certain it's just us, there's been no scents... no traces of anyone else. Why? What's wrong?" Mia asked, narrowing her eyes, picking up that something was definitely wrong. 

"I was called out to investigate reports of a werewolf who was playing tricks on hikers, stalking them, apparently. We just figured that it was someone playing tricks, so I was sent out alone. I found the thing... but I don't think it was a werewolf... I don't think it's safe out here..." Bob didn't keep the information from them, they were part of the mayor's pack and with that came formal training, they weren't normal civilians, and it was best that they were all in the loop if this thing was dangerous. His voice was hushed now as he relayed the information. Bob flinched as a large and heavy arm was slung around his shoulder, but he relaxed slightly as he realised that is belonged to Lucas. 

In a too loud voice, one that made Bob glance around into the forest, Lucas hunched down andpressed his face against Bob's cheek,"Now don't worry, what you've got here are two professionals right-" 

"One of which is stoned!" Snapped Mia, baring her fangs at him. 

"Hush! Don't let the police officer know!" Lucas hissed back, showing his teeth in return. His canines, easily an inch long, were glinting next to Bob's face, who was blinking stupidly at the sight, as Mia clutched her face in her hands. "Don't mind her, she's just angry cause her boyfriend dumped her-"

"He cheated on me! With a vampire of all things!" Mia butted in, waving her arms in the air, getting closer to Lucas. 

"Racist. Anyway, I took her for a fun night out! There's nothin' like a party underneath the night sky, is what my brother always-" Lucas was suddenly cut off as Mia, now a wolf man, wrapped her paw around his muzzle, snapping it shut and effectively rendering him silent. 

"Shut up! It's not safe out here!" She rumbled. 

Bob could only sigh in relief, and patted the arm that was still slung around his shoulder. Lucas's trail of thought was like a waterfall, or to put it more elegantly, verbal diarrhoea. It was a common side effect. "She's right" He murmured to Lucas. "It can wait until later, I need to escort you two out of here". With that, he untangled himself from the wolf-man, turned his torch to the path ahead, and began leading them down the path. Mia returned to her human form, walking wordlessly to his right. Her footsteps were almost silent, save for the light crunch of gravel, and Bob could tell that all her senses were on high alert, tasting the forest air and scanning the darkness for any signs of movement. Lucas, however, was being far less useful, and distinctly louder. He couldn't quite keep up with his long legs and huge paws, tripping up on seemingly every pebble, and stepping on every dry twig in his path. 

"Maybe it might be best if you turn back to human form, Lucas. You're awfully ungainly." _And very loud..._ Bob turned his head to glance at the wolf-man, who had frozen at the mention of his name. His pose was exaggerated, hunched over, arms pulled in, up on the very tips of his paws, in an attempt to tip toe. 

"Oh, he can't turn back to human after smoking weed". Mia explained casually to his right. "He forgets how to shift form". 

"Right..." Bob responded with a frown, glancing back at Lucas, who nodded, with a huge wolf grin. "Fair enough, but we'll have to speed up". He commanded, picking up the pace. The ground was beginning to even out, and Bob was fairly certain he could see the fork in the path ahead, the one that he had passed earlier. It had taken him about twenty minutes to get to this point on the way into the forest, they still had some way to go.

"You don't seem phased by werewolves at all." Mia murmured to him, not wanting to raise her voice, but the constant silence had seemed to make her a bit restless. "You didn't even seem startled by Lucas's lack of personal space." She added with a tiny chuckle. 

Bob could tell it was a small hint, it was odd to find people who didn't feel the least bit unsettled by werewolves, especially those in wolf-man form, arguably the most threatening form the could take. And even more so, considering he was a police officer. He didn't have any issue sharing personal information with her, if it made her feel more at ease. 

"Well, in this line of work, you realise that while werewolves have the potential to be dangerous, humans have even more of a potential." Bob didn't elaborate on that, the meaning was clear. He had seen the most vicious and animalistic attacks, and none of them had been at the hands of a werewolf. "Although" He added, with a more upbeat tone. "I am also very close friends with a werewolf in the mayor's pack, so I'm fully used to being hugged by a wolf-man." He added with a smile, which Mia returned, seemingly happy with his response, and changed her pace slightly so she was more even with Lucas. 

Lucas and Mia had began whispering amongst each other, seemingly more relaxed as nothing had happened so far. It was hard for Bob to listen to the forest, while also trying to stop his ears from honing in on their conversation. 

"Look Lucas, I hope for... in training tomorrow"

"Aww relax... sure it'll wear off soon... won't get punished too harshly"

"...the Queen's wrath! Don't want... peeled off the ceiling!"

Bob could only catch parts of their conversation, like before. They were trailing just a tiny bit behind him, and he realised that Mia was trying to steady his loud footsteps. He recognised the tone of voice as Mia uttered the 'Queen's wrath', the Queen being a nickname for the second in command in the Mayor's pack, one that younger recruits often used. Lexie had mentioned her many times, and Bob had met her a couple of times before. Her real name being Wren, and although she was only second in command, she was the strongest member of the pack, both in fighting capacity and in will. He'd seen her in action before, and the memory of the incident made him feel both awe, and a reminder of how weak he was as a human. His trail of thought was shattered by a loud snap and a thud. He whirled around, panic and annoyance filling him.

"Watch your step!" He hissed to the two behind him, who were still helping each other along. 

They both froze and gazed at him with wide eyes. "That wasn't us..." Mia whispered, her voice barely audible. 

"Shit..." Bob murmured, flashing his torch behind their shoulders, where the sound had originated. Mia grabbed Lucas and pulled him back to Bob's side, shifting into a wolf-man as she moved. 

"Ew, what's that smell?" Lucas exclaimed, sticking out his tongue. 

Indeed, a foul odour had filled the clearing, it was a very distinct smell, the kind that only rotting flesh could give off. The smell of death, even Bob had no trouble picking it up. 

The first thing Bob noticed where the eyes, they seemed to draw you in and trap you there. Wide, unblinking, and emotionless. It stood off the trail, about 10 feet away, partly covered by a nearby tree trunk. The torch light could reach it now, revealing that it did in fact have the build of a wolf-man, it was just a bit taller than Lucas. What differed however, was how skinny it was. It's ribs were clearly visible and all of its bones protruded, while it's flesh seemed to be rotting off its body. It's lips were pulled back, and it was flashing long, stained fangs. Although it didn't seem to be snarling, rather, it seemed to be grinning at them. The eyes seemed to pierce right through Bob, and it seemed increasingly difficult to break eye contact. 

"Come here you idiot!" 

The hiss behind him caused Bob to violently startle and snap out of his trance. Glancing to his side, he noticed Lucas taking a few unsteady steps towards the creature. His eyes were squinted and his face was scrunched up into a kind of wolffish snarl. But his whole demeanour seemed more curious than aggressive, decidedly the more dangerous of the two. It was as is he was trying to decipher exactly how real the creature in front of him was. Mia, still a wolf-man, grabbed him roughly by the shoulder and pulled him back behind her, where she crouched and changed into a wolf. She now stood up to about his ribcage in height, a huge and threatening wolf. She adopted a defensive stance, the fur on her neck stood on end, ears pinned back, and teeth bared. 

Bob knew that it wouldn't be a good idea to fight the creature, it was a gut feeling. It still hadn't moved or reacted, it was almost like it was waiting for them to make the first mood, to walk into it's trap. His hand reached down to his gun, removing it from the holster. Two loud bangs rang out in the hollow as Bob fired the two warning shots at the creature's feet. That finally caused a response, and the creature startled and let out a roar, although the noise sounded more like a scream, a bloodcurdling shriek, almost as loud as the gunshots. Bob and the two werewolves flinched, and Mia was forced back into a human, covering her ears with her hands. It turned and fled, disappearing into the murky forest, as if it had decided that they weren't worth it. Probably thinking up a different tactic. 

"Come on, let's get the fuck out of here!" Bob commanded, voice shaking. 

They all fled down the trail, Mia as a wolf again, taking the lead as the fastest one of the group. Bob trailed behind, keeping an eye on Lucas. He was galloping along on his stilt like legs, ungainly, and it looked like he could trip over his own feet at any second. Their feet pounded on the gravel trail, making a horrendous amount of noise, but their sole focus was to get out of there. 

"Where did you park?" Lucas wheezed from behind Bob. 

"At the main entrance! By the welcome gates to the park!" Bob responded, breathless. 

Suddenly, Mia skidded to a halt, and her form grew taller until a human stood in place of a grey wolf. 

"I know a shortcut!" She exclaimed, panting. "It cuts straight to the gates! It's how we got to the path where we met!" 

Bob glanced into the dark forest, he was hesitant. The darkness seemed to consume everything off the path, and who knows where the creature was waiting for them. Breathing heavily, he turned back to Mia, who was steadying Lucas with a hand on his shoulder, and looking intently back at Bob. He raised his torch to the forest, and rested his hand on his gun. He was just going to have to trust them, to get out of the forest.

"Lead the way, but we need to stick close". He responded with a nod. 

Mia changed back to a wolf, squatting on all fours. She dashed into the forest at a moderate pace, letting the other two catch up. Lucas didn't hesitate, striding off the path and into the darkness. The werewolves could see perfectly well in the dark, while Bob's human eyes could barely see a couple of feet in front of him. With a deep breath, he joined them, his feet crunching on the leafy undergrowth. He hurried after them, desperately not wanting to be left behind. Now that they were both following Mia, who was the most reliable of the two werewolves, they picked up the pace. Through the forest, Mia hardly made a sound as a wolf, it was Bob and Lucas who were stumbling on every rock and branch, crashing through the undergrowth. He envied the werewolves' night vision, as Mia gracefully dodged a low hanging branch, one that he had to stop to push aside, otherwise it would simply snap back and whip him in the stomach. Bob was breathing heavily by this point, and began trailing behind. He didn't want to be seen as the one keeping the group behind, even Lucas in his drug influenced state was keeping up better. Mia kept on glancing back at the two, and changed her pace in order to allow them to catch up, but Bob was aware of how slowly they were travelling now, and how dark their surroundings were. He felt a bolt of new panic shoot through him, the forest seemed significantly darker than before. _Is my torch running out of-_ At that, Bob was plunged into darkness as his torch flickered, spluttered, and then cut out. Desperately, he flung the torch on the floor, and tore his backpack off his shoulder. He began rinsing around in his back, feeling around for one of his backup torches. The darkness seemed to swallow him, suffocating him like it was a living entity. He wanted to call out to Mia and Lucas, but was afraid of shattering the dark, still air. He didn't know where that _thing_ was. With a wash of relief, he felt his hand grasp the handle of one of his spare torches. Shaking, he clicked the switch, revealing... nothing. He was alone, surrounded only by trees. _Oh fuck..._

"Mia? Lucas?" Bob called out, as loudly as he dared. feeling panic rise in him. 

He spun around, taking steps to the left, to the right, glancing behind trees. No trace of them. Bob suddenly felt very small, and very cold. Taking a deep breath, he attempted to calm himself. He was never quick the the draw, but he held his gun in his hand, a reminder that he wasn't as powerless as he thought. It was something, better than nothing. 

"Mia?" He called out again, a little louder this time. 

"Come here you idiot!" Came a response. Further away, a little muffled, but still recognisable as Mia. 

Gasping in relief, Bob stumbled over to the source of the noise, flashing his torch to search for the werewolves. He found himself in a small clearing, the trees far enough away from each other to create a break in the thick canopy, and the ground flat and grassy. The night sky was visible again, a hopeful sight. Bob stood in the middle of the clearing, turning around in a circle, his torch cutting into the darkness of the forest. He couldn't quite locate either of the two werewolves, whom he assumed where sticking together. 

"Mia?" Bob called again, knowing that he was close to the source of her voice. 

"Come here you idiot!" Came her response, again the same phrase, the same time of voice. Much, much closer this time. 

Bob froze, sensing that something was off in her voice. It sounded distorted almost, like it was being projected from a radio. 

"Come here you idiot!" 

At that moment, Bob felt his heart stop. He felt eerily calm as he turned around. The voice had come from directly behind him. Before him towered the creature. A mere metre away from him, eyes bearing into his own, a crackling snarl emanating from its chest. The wall of decay hit him, assaulting his senses, although he barely noticed it as the creature opened its huge, gaping maw and screamed. No longer mimicking Mia's call, it was simply a cry of pure noise. A discordant crescendo that shook him to his very core, causing him to be rooted to the spot. Bob had only felt fear like this at one other point in his life, two brothers had been fighting, well, one had ripped the other apart. Torn him apart, peeled back his skin, cut tendons, organs removed, vivisected. The image still haunted him in the darkest of nights, even though years had passed. The fear that left him rooted to the spot, unable to even react to save himself, gripped him again. 

Blindingly fast, the creature screamed again, and lunged forward, burying its long, brutal fangs into Bob's shoulder. Bob screamed out in agony, almost mimicking the creature's battle cry. The burning agony caused him to drop his torch to the ground, and swing his other arm around in an attempt to pull the creature off. It's grip had tightened, ripping, tearing into his flesh. With a cry of pure pain, Bob brought the handle of his gun down on its face, managing to catch the tender flesh just below its eye. It snarled and released its grip on Bob, causing him to crumple to the ground, clutching his shoulder in one hand, and holding out the gun with his other hand, trembling violently. With a shudder, he fired a shot, missing it widely, the bullet lodging into a nearby tree, kicking out splinters, the moon offering some visibility to watch it miss. The creature lunged forward again, meaning to finish off its prey, and Bob could only watch, too sucked of energy and full of pain to put up any more of a fight. He could only think about what he'd have said to Lexie, had he known that this was to be his fate. He closed his eyes, clutching his bloody shoulder, and waited for the final blow. 

...But it never came. 

An enraged snarling figure leapt out of the murky forest, careening into the creature, knocking it violently off its lunge. Mia, a furious wolf, leapt back and bared her teeth at the creature, putting herself between it and Bob. Before the creature could get to its balance back, Mia was pouncing on it again. She sank her teeth into its calf, causing it to screech and lash out, catching the werewolf on the side of her head. Mia snarled in response, the pain only causing her anger, and she strengthened her grip rather than letting go. With a sharp tug, the creature fell heavily on the ground, where Mia wasted no time and lunged at its throat, tasting foul blood as she pierced its rotting flesh. 

In the midst of the snarling battle, Lucas had, as silently as he could manage, entered the clearing after Mia. He knelt down by Bob, who was clutching his shoulder, face scrunched up in pain, the smell of blood strong, sharp and metallic in the wolf-man's sensitive nose. Lucas lightly tapped him on his uninjured arm, causing Bob to flinch violently, moaning in new agony. 

"S'alright, we got you man" Lucas murmured in his ear, flashing a very toothy, reassuring grin. 

Bob cracked open one eye as he heard Mia's yelp, the creature was on its feet now, and Mia stood at just below its towering height as a wolf-man, bleeding from a long gash on her cheek. With his last remaining energy, Bob shakily lifted his arm, raising his gun yet again. With a loud bang, he fired at the creature. This time, he was rewarded with a low pitched howl and a dull thud of bullet hitting thick flesh. The bullet had lodged in the creature's thigh, and it staggered back, whining in agony, before taking off into the dark forest, its large and heavy footsteps growing quieter and quieter as it retreated.

Mia, still a wolf-man, joined Lucas and Bob, kneeling down, her ears pinned back with fear and concern. "Bob! Dear god we're so sorry, we couldn't find you! We turned around, and you weren't there, we couldn't even pick up your scent!" 

"And then we heard the screaming, of course, you screamed pretty loud". Lucas added. 

"You're not helping" Bob mumbled, the blood trickling in between his fingers, his torn clothes not offering much to stifle the flow. 

"Is there any first aid equipment in your bag?" Mia asked, glancing at the backpack that was Bob was still wearing, although it looked a lot worse for wear, torn, and reeking of blood. 

"Mhm" He responded, releasing his shoulder with a tremor, as Mia gently prized the bag from his shoulders, shifting back to a human as she pulled out a first aid kit, dripping with blood. At this point, a cloud drifted in front of the moon, blocking the light. Only the werewolves could see properly now. Bob felt a reassuring grip on his uninjured shoulder. 

"Hey I have some painkillers if you're interested..." Lucas offered. 

"He doesn't need whatever you're offering" Mia interrupted, wrapping a makeshift bandage around the bloody shoulder. "Although I might need some later after all this" she muttered. 

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that". Bob grumbled, eyes squeezed shut in agony. 

"Ok, that'll stop the bleeding for now, I'll carry you to the car, I think that monster's had enough, I doubt it'll be coming back". Mia announced, her form stretching as she once more shifted into a wolf-man, preparing for the journey back. As gently as she could, she wrapped her arms around Bob, lifting him up with a small grunt. Bob let out a tiny cry at the movement. 

It took them what felt like forever to get back to the car, with Bob having no idea of his surroundings, unable to see in the gloom and half blinded by pain. They took the path through the forest, the two wolf-men sticking close, Mia's ears pricked for any more danger. Up ahead, the trees started to thin out and there was a distinct orange glow up ahead. 

"Ah hah! We made it" Lucas howled in excitement, as the finally broke free of the tree line. The two street lamps marked the main entrance, a large metal gate, framed by two lamps. Just on the other side of the gates was the police car that Bob had arrived in. Tentatively, Bob felt around for his car keys, and retrieved them from his pocket. As they neared the car, Bob unlocked it, and the car beeped in response.

"Wait, can you drive, Mia?" He asked, voice hoarse. 

"She's learning, but I can drive" Lucas butted in confidently, reaching for the car keys in Bob's hand. 

"You are not driving!" Mia and Bob cried, horror giving Bob the strength to protest. 

Mia took the keys out of Bob's hand, and opened the passenger car door, placing him in as gently as she could. Bob could only sink into the seat, leaning on his good shoulder. He felt something crumple underneath him- he was sitting on the box of Jaffa cakes. He glanced at the bandages, which were smeared with bloody fingerprints, and he was beginning to bleed through the bandage. They were twenty minutes away from Datlof, probably less, maybe half that depending on how quickly they drove. The bleeding was slowed, and he didn't feel faint... yet. There was a spare first aid kit in the boot, it'd be ok. Absolutely fine. There was a small burst of noise outside the car as Mia and Lucas fought over the car keys, one that was quickly resolved with a back door being flung open, and Lucas being bundled inside, the door slamming shut behind him. Mia opened the driver's door and sat in the seat, shutting the door violently. She put on her seatbelt and fumbled with the keys, managing to put them in the ignition and starting the engine. 

"Exactly... how many lessons have you had...?" Bob asked, afraid of the answer. 

"Ten" she responded. 

"Five" Lucas whispered in Bob's ear. 

"My instructor said that I'm a very confident driver!" Mia snapped back defensively, studying the gear stick as she found reverse, and started backing up the car, the engine revving violently. "Ok hold on" she commanded, and Bob clutched the handle above the window with his good arm, whileLucas wrapped his arms around Bob's seat, his head right by his ear. 

"I can't believe that you survived the attack, only to be finished by Mia's driving, that's rough dude" Lucas muttered. 

"Mia are you su-AGH!" Bob was cut off as Mia violently revved the engine and released the clutch. The car skidded on the soft grass before taking off down the road. They quickly made their way down the drive to the main road, gear changes causing the engine to stutter and jump. Lucas suddenly focused on something out the window, ears pricked and head tilted.

"Lucas, whatever you've seen, I don't want to know about it" Bob growled, sinking down into his seat more. 

"Alright" Lucas responded, turning back to look at the road ahead. 

Without looking both ways, Mia turned into the main road, throwing Bob and Lucas to the side, and with another jitter, began accelerating again. Bob's knuckles went white from how tightly he was hanging on to the handle, even in his weakened state. _Oh my god this is not the way I want to go._ He opened his eyes as he noticed the lights of a car in front, driving at a slow and steady thirty mph. He glanced at Mia, who hadn't given any sign of slowing down.

"Right then, you fucker..." Mia whispered to herself. 

This particular road was rather thin and windy, it was illegal for cars to overtake, and rightly so. Part of Bob wanted to grab the wheel from her, the police man side, but the other side of him, the side that actually wanted him to get to hospital before he passed out, reached forward and turned on the sirens. The rapidly approaching break lights of the car in front pulled sharply to the side, making room for the police car to pass. 

"Oh fuck yes that's right you bastards!" Mia yelled as she overtook the car.

"See, she's very confident". Lucas reassured. 

Soon enough, Datlof could be seen ahead. The bright city lights sparkling up ahead, a huge relief to Bob, who had gone pale from the pain in his shoulder. "Where are you going to take me?" He asked. 

"Well I was going to take you to the large one near the centre... but you were bitten by that... _thing..._ Who knows what the hell it was. Worst case, it's an old feral werewolf and if so, most hospitals won't take you in. It will be best to take you to yoglabs, you could be cursed with some sort of evil magic, or infected". Mia responded, worry clear on her face. 

Bob felt himself grow cold, he hasn't thought about that, but it made a lot of sense. If he had been cursed or poisoned by anything, yoglabs was the best place to go, he would be in good hands. Although he knew the implications of it being a feral werewolf bite. Yoglabs would be the best place for that kind of situation. But he pushed those thoughts out of his mind. It wasn't any use panicking about something that might not actually happen. 

"Yeah, and that's the best hospital facility in the whole of Datlof! They'll fix you up good. Stitch up that shoulder, you'll have a pretty impressive scar. Bitches love scars. Along with your uniform, you'll knock 'em dead" Lucas rambled on, and Bob could only groan and roll his eyes.

"Oh shit... will yoglabs be open?" Mia exclaimed. "It won't open for hours!" 

"Is there a pack member you can call in there?" Bob asked, desperation in his voice.

"Lucas?! Do you know anyone?" Mia asked to the wolf-man in the back seat, still wrapped around the headrest of Bob's seat. 

"Yes, but he's gonna be proper out of it mate, no chance"Lucas responded with a shake of his head.

"I have an idea" Bob exclaimed, taking a company phone out of the glove box, and dialled in a number he knew off by heart. 

...

....

.....

" _Hello..?"_ Came a dreary voice, obviously barely conscious. 

"Lexie! It's Bob!" He exclaimed, relief washing over him. "I'm sorry, but it's an emergency, I've been attacked by a... creature, and I need to get to Yoglabs infirmary, only its closed". He explained as quickly as he could. 

_"Wait, shit! Are you ok?"_ Lexie responded, panic evident in her voice.

"Er it's ok, a shoulder bite. We're just at the outskirts of Datlof, can you get us into Yoglabs?" He begged, desperate. 

" _Just you leave it to me"_ She responded firmly. 

"Thank you" Bob replied, sighing in relief. 

" _Bob, if no one's at the door, just smash your way in, just get in there"_ Lexie commanded firmly. 

"Got it, thank you so much..." He said with a smile, and said goodbye before hanging up. 

"Oh! So that's who you're friends with!" Mia exclaimed. "A bodyguard and a police officer, makes sense" 

"She can jump real high" Lucas added proudly, as if his comment was a nugget of wisdom. 

"Yeah, she's great". Was all Bob said on the matter, reaching for his radio, finally managing to get hold of the station. He explained all to them there, Bob was going to have a hell of a lot of paperwork to go through. Something fun to look forward to.

* * *

Five minutes and two car stalls later, Yoglabs was finally in sight. The lights to the main entrance where on, and hope washed over the three. Mia used her staff pass to get into the very front of the building, the barriers lifting to let the police car by. Bob turned the siren off as they parked, and Mia threw open her door and hurriedly helped him out, scooping him up get again. By this point he was feeling rather faint, limp in her grip. Lucas stumbled out of the car after her, forgetting to shut the door behind him. They dashed to the front door, where a figure stood, holding it open. The figure was very tall and slim, and seemed to be wearing a baggy short sleeved shirt, and loose pyjama shorts. Squinting, Bob felt a grin spread over his exhausted face as he recognised the mayor himself, who looked like he had just rolled out of bed, normally pristine hair wild and untamed, and barefoot. He held the door open with his clearly visible prosthetic arm. _Ah ha Lexie, you wonderful woman._

They ducked inside, and Lucas offered Lewis a salute. "Ah ok, you can all explain the story later, but first there's spare beds for you in the medical wing, come on". The mayor explained, leading the way, still somehow keeping his natural air of authority, even with bare feet and awful bed hair. 

Bob was placed on an empty bed in his own partition, where nurses began to work immediately on him, removing the bandages and began inspecting the wound. One nurse pulled Mia to the side, glancing at the wound on her cheek. 

"Want me to clean that for you?" He offered, and Mia looked back in surprise. 

"I forgot I had that, yes please." She responded, glancing at Bob, surrounded by nurses and a doctor now, as she was lead to a bed of her own. Mia noticed Lucas-finally a human again, slinking up to her, crouching by her side. As a human, Lucas was rather short, most people tended to tower over him. He had tanned skin and long hair, with a constant, easygoing smile. 

"Dude, that nurse is fucking hot, you should talk to him" Lucas hissed, staring after the nurse who had briefly walked away to pick up supplies to clean Mia's scratch. The nurse was young, with rich, dark skin and black hair. He was very tall, with broad shoulders, and a bright smile. 

"Lucas, if you think he's that hot, you go talk to him. I don't fancy dating someone so early on." She growled, absolutely shattered after the day's ordeal, she just wanted to sleep. 

"Suit yourself, I might do" Lucas announced.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Mia's wound had been cleaned up, and her and Lucas sat in a waiting area together, waiting for news on Bob. Her wound hadn't been too deep, it'd stopped bleeding by the time they'd gotten to Yoglabs. Lewis had checked in on them, making sure they were alright and in order to get the whole story from them- well most of it, they missed out the drug related parts. Afterwards, they'd been discharged, but they decided to stay to make sure Bob was alright. They sat next to each other on a long sofa, back to back, legs rested on the cushions. A police officer sat a few sofas across from them, one of Bob's colleagues. From the news they'd heard from the doctor, Bob had lost quite a bit of blood, had they been much longer and he would be in more serious trouble. But they'd given him a blood transfusion and were in the process of sewing up the wound- and doing tests for infection or curses. The two glanced over in unison at the sound of bare footsteps heading in their direction. It was Lewis, who approached them with a friendly, if tired smile, one which they returned. 

"May I join you?" He asked, and the two could only nod and Lucas moved his feet, making room for Lewis, who sat down heavily. He had made some effort to sort out his hair, it was looking half tamed, not sticking out in every direction.

"I'm not sure what you two were doing in the forest at this time of night, and I'm not sure I want to know, but from what you've told me, you saved his life and were incredibly brave, I'm proud of you both" Lewis explained, smiling widely at them. 

Lucas and Mia glanced at each other, before responding. "Ah thank you!" They stuttered slightly. 

Lucas gained confidence pretty quickly, and glanced at Lewis's metal prosthetic arm. "Hey dude, I bet that new arm of yours really comes in _handy."_

Lewis snorted and Mia groaned, earning a smug look from Lucas, very proud of himself. 

"Oh don't worry, I always make sure I'm fully _armed"_ Lewis threw back at Lucas, and the two cackled loudly to each other, while Mia clutched her face in agony. 

Before any more terrible puns could be made, a tall, slender tri-coloured wolf barged into the waiting room, panting heavily. Lewis promptly stood up, recognising Lexie, his bodyguard. Lexie shifted back to a human, relatively short, with mousy blond hair. A very noticeable silver scar and silver freckles taking up most of her face. She stood bent over, hands on her knees, breathing heavily, dropping a rucksack on the floor by her feet. 

"Ah... sorry I'm late... I got some supplies... and ran all the way here..." Lexie panted, before heaving herself upright. "How is he?" She asked, her voice edged with obvious anxiety. 

"They think he'll be alright, they're stitching up his shoulder"Lewis explained, putting his arm around her shoulder comfortingly.

"Ahh... good..." she responded with a smile, one which turned to a frown as she looked down. "Sir you're not wearing socks."

"Don't worry about it"

After relaying the story again, this time to Lexie, Lucas and Mia were looking exhausted- they could barely fight back as Lexie gave them both a huge wolf-man hug, and quite an emotional thank you. She then settled down next to Lewis, sighing and resting her head back on the head rest. They all sat in silence for the rest of the wait, they were all too tired, and the atmosphere felt heavy. The thick silence was broken about half an hour later, although to all of them in the waiting room, it felt like hours.

"Bob's been patched up now, you can all see him, two at a time. He's very tired." The doctor announced, before leading the way back to the ward. 

Bob lay on a hospital bed, attached to a drip. He'd felt better, that was for sure. They'd cleaned up his wound and stitched it up, taking tests in the process. His shoulder was pretty heavily bandaged and he had been given some pain medication, reducing the throbbing of his shoulder to a dull ache, for a while, anyway. It had been a large relief to him that the bite hadn't been from an infectious werewolf, something magic had lingered from... whatever it was, which had been reversed and lifted. Footsteps shook him from his trail of thought, maybe three people, walking rather rapidly towards his bed, and Bob could make out the doctor's voice. A few seconds later, the curtain was parted by his doctor, and a very familiar face poked her head in-one that Bob wasn't sure that he'd see again. Lexie's troubled frown turned to a bright smile of relief as they locked eyes, one which Bob returned wholeheartedly. She quickly made her was over to his side and gave him a very tentative hug-which Bob was grateful for. He didn't think he could survive a wolf-man hug right now. 

"I'm glad you're ok, Bob" Lexie said, after letting go of him and standing by his side.

"It's quite a relief that's for sure, but I was in good hands, and hey think about how much holiday time I'll get from work!" He said with a one handed shrug, in a lighthearted tone that didn't match the situation. 

Lexie started slightly, seemingly at the sudden change in mood, and gave him a frown in response. Bob mentally cursed, she really had been worried about him, he probably shouldn't be joking after nearly loosing his life. But his worry faded as her face lit up and gave him sharp toothed sly smirk. 

"Heh well I hope you enjoy hospital food and paperwork, you ain't getting off that easily." 

Bob slowly shook his head in fake mental agony. "Alas, it's a shame I won't be able to pick up a pen until my shoulder heals"

"Ah curses" Lexie responded with a laugh. 

"Yeah, but I'm going to have to stay in longer while they take more tests, they want to be thorough." Bob explained, serious once more.

"Ah, you're going to be staying in this mad house for a while. You get the misfortune of being bothered by me every break time" She responded, putting her palms up and shrugging. 

"I wouldn't call it a misfortune" Bob fired back, with a small, genuine smile, earning a flustered look from the normally controlled bodyguard.

"Well... I'll let the others see you now, I brought you some supplies that I'll bring to you afterwards." Lexie announced, leaning forward to plant a kiss on his forehead before walking away, Lewis holding open the curtain as he heard her walking back towards him. The mayor moved to let her pass before glancing in at a flustered Bob.

"I'm glad to see you're ok, you're a valuable asset to the city, and to the team". Lewis told him with a smile and a nod, before letting the curtain drop as he walked away with Lexie. Bob could only blink at such a high praise, before hearing a yell of pain from Lewis, with a horrified apology from the doctor in response. 

"I told you sir, put on some godforsaken shoes!" Came Lexie's yell, and Bob could only chuckle to himself, very glad that he'd been taken to Yoglabs. 

It was Walter who visited Bob next, who spent the majority of the visit apologising, to which Bob could only forgive him. Walter had no way of knowing what would have happened, it just seemed to be a regular werewolf callout. Besides, he didn't want to think what would have happened if he hadn't been reminded to bring spare torches along with him. Walker wished him well, and handed him a very large pile of paperwork, before setting back off for the station. Bob could only groan, both in a twinge in his shoulder and at the thought of how much accident report he'd have relay to the station. 

"Hey I can give you something medicinal for that pain" Came a familiar voice, and a long haired teenager poked his head around the curtain. It took Bob a few seconds to recognise the voice and attach it to a new face. 

"Lucas!" Bob exclaimed croakily, realising that the person in front of him was the wolf-man who had been traversing the wilderness with.

" _Move your arse! Some of us are trying to get in!"_ Mia hissed, pushing past Lucas and entering the room.

Lucas regained his balance and stood next to her, a cocky grin on his face. They were about the same height, and roughly the same age, Bob noted. If Lucas was human again, that means he's no longer stoned, and hopefully sane again. 

"Dude, look at the size of that bandage! You're gonna have one hell of a scar! I told you, bitches love scars!" 

Bob shook his head, of course he wasn't any different. "Moving on... I'm only here because of you two, so thank you" He said, giving a gracious bow of his head. He really was thankful of the two, and he felt rather attached to them, even though he'd met them barely two hours ago. 

"So does that mean you'll let us in the evidence lock-" Lucas was cut off as Mia elbowed him hard in the ribs. 

"You're welcome Bob, we're only sorry that you got hurt" She said with a somber expression, gazing at his shoulder. 

"It could be worse if you two hadn't been there, anyway, dangers of the job" Bob waved her off with his left hand. 

"But-" Bob added, causing the two to startle slightly. "I'm going to have to ask you to hand over any illegal substances you have on your possession. I am still a police officer after all." 

Lucas and Mia turned to each other, Mia's eyes narrowing as she glared down her friend, crossing her arms. Lucas turned out his pockets, tilting his head and shrugging. He flashed a grin straight into Mia's face, and in return, she slowly bared her teeth, revealing very sharp canines. Bob could only watch the silent exchange, this seemed to be some sort of ritualistic conversation, he thought as they gestured to each other. The silence was broken by Lucas sighing loudly. 

"Fine! Fine! I'll hand it over" He exclaimed, stepping towards the bed, shoving his hands deep into his jacket pockets and pulling out two separate bags of marijuana, Bob instantly recognising the green mossy coloured substance in the clear bags as Lucas dropped them on Bob's lap. Lucas tried stepping back, but Mia's hand on his shoulder promptly stopped him. 

" _All of it"_ She growled. 

Groaning in defeat, Lucas reached into his back pockets, pulling out four more tiny plastic bags, rolled up to compact them, and throwing them on Bob's lap with the others. He could only watch in fascination as Lucas pulled out more and more tiny bags, some in his socks, in the heels of his shoes, from his sleeve, and finally (and most disturbingly) from the back of what Bob severely hoped were his boxer shorts. It was hard to tell, as Lucas left the ward for some privacy as he retrieved the small bag. It took a good five minutes to remove it all. Bob could only glance down, dumbfounded, at the small mountain of drugs he now possessed. 

"Holy shit Lucas!" He exclaimed, picking up one of the bags with his left arm.

"Hey! We were going to get fucking wrecked tonight, don't use that tone with me!" Lucas scolded before being hit around the back of the head by Mia. 

"I'm going to let you off with a warning..." Bob mumbled, still in shock, even with his experience he had never seen something quite like that.

"Naw, good on ya mate!" Lucas exclaimed, partly in relief, slapping Bob on the back, earning a grunt of pain. 

Mia could only shake her head, chuckling to herself, and Bob, now wheezing, glanced up at her. "How exactly do you cope with him?" He asked, to which Mia could only shrug, grinning. 

"What can I say, he's an arsehole, but he's my arsehole" 

"Why are we talking about my bum hole?" Lucas turned to her, asking. 

"Eh just marvelling at it. Anyway, come on, we'd better let Bob rest" She said in a softer tone, noticing that Bob was fighting to focus on them now, and Mia was starting to flag now that the sun was starting to poke over the horizon, a hopeful orange glow blanketing the landscape and shining into the hospital ward from the large glass windows. Bob blinked a few times, and sat up to the best of his ability, spreading out his left arm in an offer of a hug. Mia and Lucas glanced at each other before pouncing on Bob, giving him a warm yet painful hug, Mia clinging into his left arm and chest, while Lucas was on Bob's lap, a couple of small bags of weed being knocked off the bed by his feet as he clung to Bob's middle. They stayed like that for an uncomfortable, painful, yet warm and comforting ten seconds, before the two hopped off the bed, stepping back. 

"We'll see you around dude" Lucas promised. "I know you'll want to give me a tour of your evidence room since you're so grateful" He added with a very obvious wink. 

"Or you can show us pics of murders" Mia added, giving Lucas a high five. 

"We'll see about the first one, but I can arrange the second one" Bob chuckled, settling back down into the bed. "Goodbye guys, I'll see you around."

Both werewolves said their goodbyes, Lucas shedding a couple of tears as he waved, sniffling and ducking out the door. 

"Come on wuss you can visit him later!" Mia exclaimed, their footsteps becoming quieter and quieter. 

Bob rested his head back on the pillow, the room was starting to blur from tiredness, and his limbs felt heavy. 

" _Bob what the actual shit"_ Came a familiar whisper, and Bob forced one eye open to investigate. Lexie stood at the end of his hospital bed, a large rucksack on one shoulder. She was staring at the large and messy pile of drugs on his lap. 

"Stoner werewolf" Was all that Bob would respond with, his voice barely a murmur. His lips curled into a small tired smile at the soft responding chuckle. He felt the weight of the small bags being removed as Lexie placed them on a chair, and heard her sit down next to him. The last thing he could note as he slipped into a deep sleep was the feeling of Lexie gently stroking his forehead, watching over him. 

The sun rose on a new day, piercing through the soft morning clouds. The bustle of the city ready to start again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I plan on writing my own spooky themed story based more around the Yogs, so if this wasn't really your cup of tea because of the lack of Yogs characters in it, hold tight and something should come your way soon!
> 
> In other news, I will start work on the main fic soon because it's been sitting for far too long, but with stresses of life (like writing a dissertation) it probably won't be on such a strict schedule as it used to be. But I was a little stuck with where I wanted to go with it, and I think I've got that sorted now so hopefully I'll be able to get back into the swing of writing it again!


	4. Blood Magic Cult

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my spooky story for halloween, based around the idea of what if a cult of blood mages were trying to summon a demon but the final sacrifice they needed was a powerful magical individual. 
> 
> Enjoy!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **WARNINGS:** blood, violence, graphic descriptions of injuries, suicide/self sacrification, sacrifices, cults
> 
> I think I’ve covered all the warnings here, but let me know if I missed anything important!

“ _Aren’t you watching the club tonight?_ ” Hannah’s voice was slightly distorted, coming through the speakers of Rythian’s phone as he moved about the kitchen, washing pots and pans from that nights dinner.

His three year old son, Sam, was curled up on the sofa with a blanket and a toy, sucking his thumb quietly as he watched cartoons on the TV before he had to go to bed. The sun had already sunk behind the tower blocks surrounding his apartment building, and the city was filled with the glowing lights that signalled that night time was coming. It had been raining recently, and rivulets of water were still slowly trickling down the window and everything outside was soaked.

“That’s the plan.” Rythian replied, drying a couple of plates and putting them away in the cupboards. “Although I’m not entirely sure this tip is paying off.” He sighed.

He, Hannah and Kim had received an anonymous tip that some kidnappers were hiding out in a club called Pulse. Kidnappers that the police had been failing to track down for a number of weeks now. Normally the three tried to stay out of official police business, tending to stick to people who were committing the small crimes that the police couldn’t always be there for. They were already technically acting outside the law, and they had an unspoken agreement with the police that as long as they had left the scene of the crime before the police managed to arrive they wouldn’t be arrested.

But with this case, the police had clearly been struggling, with leads going cold left right and centre. So when someone approached Hannah and gave her a tip of where they might be able to find the kidnappers, the trio had decided to help out. Yes, they were stepping on the police’s toes a little, but if it meant that no one else would go missing, it would be worth it in the end.

“ _Well we’ll keep it up for another couple of days. And if nothing happens, I’ll try and track down that person and let them know their tip was complete bullshit._ ” Hannah responded in a no nonsense tone of voice.

Rythian put away the last of the pots and picked his phone up, turning it off speaker and holding it up to his ear as he leant against the counter, his eyes drifting over to Sam.

“It’s a shame they couldn’t have been a little more specific about who or what we were supposed to be looking out for.” He commented dryly.

Kim had persuaded Duncan to get them the police files on the kidnappings, but unfortunately there had been barely anything of use in those files, except a list of names of the people who had gone missing and where they’d last been seen. And even that hadn’t been very useful.

“ _Well maybe tonight will be your lucky night!_ ” Rythian could hear the smirk in Hannah’s voice as she spoke and he chuckled slightly.

“I’d say I’ll let you know if I’m successful, but you’d probably hear about it on the news first.” Hannah laughed.

“ _Anyway, keep safe, and hopefully we’ll have this mess wrapped up soon. See you around, Ryth._ ”

“See you.”

They hung up and Rythian placed his phone down on the counter before he moved over to Sam and sat on the edge of the sofa, ruffling his hair.

“Sängtid för dig, Sammy.” Rythian murmured softly, before he picked Sam up in his arms, switching off the TV.

He never left Sam alone in the apartment while he was working at night; Sam would always spend the night in Zoey and Fiona’s apartment which was just across the hall. He sometimes felt a little guilty at how often they had to look after Sam for him, but they always assured him that they didn’t mind, especially considering all the times he’d looked after Hope for them when she was younger. Sam was already rather sleepy, his head resting on Rythian’s shoulder as they moved out into the corridor and Rythian rapped on Zoey and Fiona’s door. Fiona pulled it open, beaming up at Rythian and Sam. She took Sam from Rythian as he stepped just inside the door.

“Are you two sure you’re ok looking after him tonight?” Rythian asked. Fiona grinned at him.

“Of course! We love having Sam over for the night!”

“Alright.” He moved over and gave Sam a kiss on the forehead. “Godnatt Sam. Sov gott. Jag älskar dig” He murmured before stepping back. “I’ll be here to pick him up in the morning from you.” He promised before leaving their apartment with a wave from Fiona.

* * *

  
By the time Rythian had got himself ready and arrived at the club in question, the skies were fully dark with no trace of the sun in the sky. Thick clouds had been hanging oppressively over Datlof all day, and they still remained now, hiding the stars away and reflecting the orange of the streetlights back down onto the city. The air was cold and a cool breeze was blowing across the rooftops, setting Rythian’s cape and scarf flapping. But unlike most people in Datlof, he welcomed the cold and enjoyed the chilling breeze across his skin. He was crouched on top of a building that overlooked the club in question, Pulse, almost invisible in the darkness of night. The club was a hive of activity and noise. The thudding bass of music could clearly be heard, even from his position on the roof, and people swarmed about the entrance to the club, some smoking, some queuing for entry, and almost every single one of the completely drunk.

While Rythian enjoyed the vibrancy of life Datlof had at night, he preferred to stay away from clubs, disliking the noise and press of bodies once inside. And he disliked being that drunk too. He liked to remain in control of his actions, thanks very much. He settled himself down on the roof, pulling a face at the damp ground, preparing to wait out the night with his eyes trained on the club.

Time ticked on and after about an hour, Rythian caught sight of someone who was standing perfectly still to the side of the club, slightly in the shadows. He couldn’t make out any features of the person, as they were wearing a rather dark hoodie with the hood pulled well over their face, but it became very clear that they were staring at one particular person in the crowd standing outside the club smoking.

Rising slowly to his feet, Rythian drew his katar, the red blade glinting in the neon lights from the club. He teleported himself behind the figure, going to grab onto their arm and place his katar at their throat. But as he appeared on the ground, he froze. The figure had vanished. Frowning, and stepping back into the shadows a little more to avoid any unwanted attention, his eyes flicked through the crowds and streets, searching for the figure.

He caught sight of the figure on the other side of the street, moving off with a young man who was struggling in their grip. How did that happen? They had been where Rythian was standing barely five seconds ago?! Not having enough time to ponder how the kidnapping had taken place in such a short space of time, and with absolutely no one noticing, he moved off after the kidnapper and their victim. He teleported up onto the rooftops, giving him a much better vantage point, as he followed the pair through the streets of Datlof until they were in a much quieter part of the town and Rythian felt that a confrontation there would result in as few casualties as possible. After all, he didn’t know what this kidnapper was capable of, or how far they’d be willing to go to get away from him.

He teleported down to the street, aiming to appear in front of the kidnapper and their victim. But just like before, the pair were nowhere to be seen. Rythian spun around, instantly on guard. Where had they gone?! He didn’t know of anyone else in Datlof who could teleport, unless this kidnapper was from the End, but they were much too small to be an Enderborn. Rythian was considered small for his people, and this person was an average human height, much smaller than he was. A piece of paper fluttering down behind him caused him to whirl around, brandishing his katar. The paper landed on the floor, and before it could get stuck to the wet ground, Rythian picked it up. The writing on the paper was rather shaky, and almost impossible to read, having already started to smudge from landing face down on the ground. But after a few seconds, he picked out the words:

_if you want to save the man, come to dark timberland  
alone_

Rythian scrunched the paper up and swore softly. He hated Dark Timberland. The place was spooky, even during day time. At night, when monsters and malevolent beings lurked, it was not a place anyone wanted to be alone. He briefly considered calling either Hannah or Kim for help, but aside from the fact that the note said to come alone, he knew he’d never live it down from either of them, and they both needed to catch up on sleep. So alone it was.

* * *

  
It took about five minutes for Rythian to reach the edge of the forest that made up Dark Timberland and he stood at the tree line staring up at the tall imposing trees that loomed oppressively. Out here, far away from the noise and lights of the city the darkness seemed almost oppressive. Rythian had never been afraid of the dark, rather he preferred it coming from a place that was continually shrouded in darkness. But out here, this didn’t just feel like darkness. It was suffocating and the air was far too still and quiet for a forest. He could feel every fibre of his being wanting to turn and run, but he had a job to do, and that required heading into those trees to find that kidnapper and their victim.

Gathering his courage, he stepped into the trees and instantly the darkness wrapped around him like a chilling blanket. He didn’t dare teleport, as he could easily hit a tree when he could barely see a foot in front of him. Murmuring softly, he summoned a ball of blue flickering ice cold flames, lighting the area around him. Shadows loomed and danced in the flickering flames, and Rythian almost extinguished the flames, preferring the darkness to the life like shadows dancing around him.

He continued on, each section looking the same and disorienting him. His senses were on high alert, his eyes flicking from side to side as he moved. A snapped branch to his left made him whirl around and for a brief moment, he thought he saw a pale face staring at him through the trees. His heart pounding, he took a step backwards, his eyes searching furiously through the trees for any sign of danger. His hand was beginning to ache from the blue flames burning around it, and he knew he’d have to extinguish the fire sooner or later plunging him into darkness once again. He was seriously regretting coming to the forest alone as he kept walking, his whole body tensed and ready for something to leap out of the trees at him.

After another minute of walking, the aching in his hand had turned into burning, and as much as he didn’t want to get rid of his only light source, Rythian had no choice but to extinguish the flames in his hand. He was tempted to sheathe his katar and burn the flames in his other hand, but he didn’t want to be unarmed. The darkness swooped down on him hungrily as the flames vanished, and he clutched his hand close to his body in an attempt to rub away some of the burning cold and bring warmth back to his fingers. He didn’t dare move for another few moments, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the overwhelming darkness. But it quickly became clear that his eyes had adjusted as much as they were able to and he gingerly continued through the forest, startling at every tree that loomed out of the darkness in front of him. As he walked, he began to realise the stupidity of his actions, and he was very tempted to teleport out of the forest and give up all together. But he remembered the man that had been kidnapped and kept pressing forwards, despite a growing sense of danger building within him.

When he first caught sight of the flickering orange glow through the trees, he was relived. It meant he had found someone other than himself, possibly even the kidnapper. Even a kidnapper was better than wandering through the trees in the darkness. As he drew closer to the orange glow, it became clear the light was coming from a ring of torches, although Rythian couldn’t quite make out what was in the middle of them. There was a heavy atmosphere in the air, like something was weighing down on him that only grew heavier as he approached the ring. Keeping in the shadows of the trees, he moved so he could see what was happening in the circle of torches.

Trees had been felled in a large circle inside the torches, leaving a large clearing where a huge stone structure had been erected. Pillars rose up into the sky and in the centre, with a set of stone steps leading up, was what looked like some kind of sacrificial alter. There was a large stone bowl resting in the middle of the alter, and Rythian didn’t need to see it to know what was inside. The coppery smell of blood filled the air, almost suffocating, and he had a hunch that all those missing people had ended up here. And he didn’t think he’d find any of them alive.

Although the area had clearly been set up for some kind of ritual, it was completely empty and silent, save for the crackling of fire from the torches. Rythian didn’t dare set foot inside the ring of torches, instead hanging back from the clearing, still in the tall dark shadows of the trees. He was seriously regretting not calling Hannah or Kim for help at this point, even if it had meant enduring their teasing. Whatever was going on here, he didn’t want to face it alone. Taking a small step back from the clearing, Rythian prepared to teleport away and out of the forest. Although he felt awful about leaving that man to his fate here, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to do anything. An alter this big would have required many people to build it, and unless they’d all been sacrificed, then that meant there was a large group of people in on this secret. A large group of people he’d no doubt have to fight to get that man back safely. Keeping his eyes fixed on the alter, Rythian teleported away.

Only he didn’t.

With a jolt of fear, Rythian found he was still staring at the alter when he should have reappeared back at the entrance to the forest. Taking a couple of deep breaths in an attempt to keep himself calm, Rythian tried teleporting again. And once again, nothing happened. Thoroughly shaken, he took a step further away from the alter. This had never happened before. He’d never been unable to teleport, and he felt horribly trapped. Fighting the urge to just turn and run through the trees, Rythian tried to summon a small spark of flame to light up the immediate forest around him, just in case he was being watched just out of his sight. But the flame never appeared.

Trembling ever so slightly, Rythian tried again and again to summon the flame, even just a spark. But nothing happened. Breathing heavily, his heart thudding in his chest and his ears, Rythian began backing off from the alter, wanting to get as far away from it as possible without taking his eyes from it. He didn’t doubt that his inability to teleport and use his magic came from that alter, and with those two things gone he wanted to leave as soon as possible. Of course he could fight without using magic or teleporting, Hannah had made sure of that, but he felt vulnerable and exposed without them there to back him up in case he needed it.

Just before the alter vanished from sight, a sound from behind Rythian made his spin on the spot, and he came face to face with a line of figures wearing blood red robes, hoods hiding their faces from view. In the space of a few seconds, everything clicked into place. The reason the kidnapper had vanished so quickly earlier hadn’t been because they were teleporting, it was because they were an illusion. No one had been kidnapped from the club at all. The intended victim tonight had been him.

As soon as the pieces clicked together in his mind, Rythian turned and started running, instantly coming face to face with another line of figures wearing the same blood red robes. He swerved to the side and headed into the trees. A flash of light to his side lit a tree on fire and he ducked as the flames burst outwards, nearly catching his cloak on fire. Another volley of fire came raining after him and only after a few moments did he realise that they weren’t trying to hit him, but they were trying to pen him in near the alter in a ring of fire where he couldn’t escape.

His breath sawing in his chest, he pushed himself to run as fast as he could, desperately trying to outrun the fire that was lighting the forest on fire around him. He stumbled backwards and landed on the ground as a tree immediately in front of him caught fire, his arms raising up to protect himself from the flames leaping out from the tree like they were trying to grab and ensnare him. His sleeve caught on fire and he patted it out, but not before he felt the searing pain of the flames on his skin. All around him was the crackling of fire, and as he got to his feet, he could see he was trapped. The hooded figures were slowly closing in on him, their arms raised up. Even from where he was standing, Rythian could clearly see the veins bulging and pulsing ever so slightly on the figures arms. Drawing his katar, Rythian stood his ground against the slowly approaching figures.

He briefly wondered why they were approaching so slowly before he realised why. He had no magic to protect himself from their attacks, and no means of escape. And out here in the middle of forest, there was no chance of anyone hearing any cries for help. They had all the time in the world to capture him. And they knew it.

Rythian gritted his teeth, fear making his senses sharp. The wall of fire was to his back, and the figures were slowly closing in around him on all sides. If he wanted to stand any kind of chance, he had to attack now, before they attacked. Pushing off from the ground, Rythian launched himself at the closest figure to him, dragging his katar across their stomach and hearing their cry of pain, the sharp blade easily slicing through their clothing and skin as they crumpled to the floor. Without waiting for the others to react, he swiftly moved to the next figure, attempting the same. But he was jerked backwards by a hand on his upper arm and thrown to the floor with inhuman strength, landing awkwardly with his katar slicing into his thigh, the adrenalin surging through him dulling the pain. The blow knocked the air out of him and before he had a chance to even process what had happened, he felt his arms and legs being manipulated without his control, lifting him to his feet and holding him in place. Still catching his breath, the figures surrounded Rythian and relieved him of his katar and all his other belongings.

A wave of horror washed over him as he caught sight of the person he’d slashed. Blood had stained their robe an even darker colour of red, and the fabric had been torn straight through, showing the bloody gash beneath it. Rythian could see the muscles and guts of the person glinting and glimmering in the firelight and they should have been on the ground bleeding out. But there they were, standing like nothing had happened, with not even a drop of blood trickling out of the wound. Who were these people that even an injury like that couldn’t stop them?!

Wordlessly, the figures moved back through the trees with Rythian moving along with them. He was no longer in control of his own body and his movements were stiff and jerky. Despite not being in control, he still fought against whatever influence that was keeping him captive, his muscles straining against every action they were forced to conform to. The alter loomed through the trees, suddenly much larger and more menacing than he remembered it to be. To his surprise, he was directed to the side of the clearing and tied firmly to a tree. As soon as the ropes were in place, Rythian felt the compulsion fall from his muscles and he was in charge of his own actions again. Not that it mattered as the ropes tying him to the tree had been tied tightly and firmly with barely any wriggle room, and he could already feel the blood flow to his hands being restricted.

Rythian watched horrified as the person he had injured climbed up on top of the alter and picked up a small glass dagger before running it over their wrists, dropping the dagger back down to the alter as they held their gushing wrists over the stone bowl. It didn’t take long for them to collapse to the floor at which point they were dragged away into the forest. Rythian felt ill, wondering if that was what was going to happen to him. Glancing away from the alter, he caught sight of his things on the other side of the clearing, much too far away for him to do anything about.

The robed figures began to descend onto him, and Rythian began to panic. Whatever they were going to do to him, he didn’t want to find out. Beginning to chant softly, the first sounds they had made, the figures untied Rythian from the tree, controlling his muscles once more, and also keeping the ropes fastened around his hands as they led him up the steps to the alter. They were clearly taking no chances in letting him escape. He was forced to lie down on the alter, the stone stained dark from dried blood, and they began to tie his arms down, a couple beginning to wrap rope around his ankles too.

“Hello?” A quiet, very nervous and scared voice made everyone in the clearing look up. Rythian found the compulsion holding him in place lessen slightly, enough for him to lift his head and catch sight of a young woman who looked like she’d been out camping and got terribly, terribly lost.

“Run!” Rythian commanded her while the clearing was still silent.

The woman needed no more persuasion, and turned, dashing through the trees. A number of the robed figures chased after her, the compulsion lessening even more on Rythian. Sensing his opportunity, perhaps the only one he might have before they undoubtedly tried to kill him, he forced his legs to move, shaking off the ropes and kicking the two figures by his feet tying him down. Stunned, they reeled back, and Rythian yanked his arms up, dragging the ropes attached to his wrists through the hands of the other figures tying him down, causing them to let out cries of pain from the rope burn. As soon as he was free, he leapt off the alter, stumbling as he hit the ground. He grabbed his things, shoving them haphazardly into his pockets as he ran. He ran as fast as he could, not daring to look behind him as he heard the shouts of the figures chasing after him, and ducking under the fire that shot over his head.

Everything was a whirl of black and orange, trees and fire, as he raced through the forest, dodging to the side as trees sprung up in his path, branches and bushes scratching and tearing at his skin. He didn’t care where he was running to, he just wanted to get far enough away from that alter so he could teleport out of this damn forest. He turned to miss a tree, and nearly ran straight into the camper who had wandered into the clearing, allowing him to get away. Barely pausing to think, he grabbed her arm and kept running, dragging her after him.

“Keep going!” He called out breathlessly.

He had to break free of that oppressive aura soon, he had to get his magic back so he could teleport out of there! The figures were gaining on them and it was sheer desperation and fear that kept Rythian running. Suddenly, the oppressive aura lifted and with a jolt, Rythian realised his magic had returned. Not caring if he accidentally made the woman ill with his teleporting, he vanished, taking her along with him.

The pair suddenly reappeared outside the forest and they crashed to the ground as their momentum from running kept them moving even after the teleport. Rythian instantly got to his feet, his katar drawn, scanning the trees for any sign of the robed figures. On the ground the woman retched and he felt a twinge of sympathy for her. Although teleporting was completely natural for him, it made many people feel incredibly ill. Once the woman had recovered slightly, Rythian helped her to her feet, his eyes still flickering around, watching for any sign of movement.

“Come on, we have to get back to the city.” He said in a low, but urgent voice. “Can you keep running?”

The woman gave Rythian a small nod. He would have teleported them again, but he didn’t want the woman to have to go through that again. They set off running towards the city, Rythian glancing behind every so often to make sure they weren’t being followed. It was taking every fibre of his being to not teleport straight back to the city, but as they began to reach the suburbs, he let himself relax slightly. The pair came to a stop, both panting heavily from the long run they’d just had to do. Drawing his katar, the woman stepped away from Rythian slightly, but he ignored her, gently trying to cut through the ropes still tied around his wrists. The tips of his fingers had begun to go numb and he wanted to get the ropes off as soon as possible.

As soon as the rope tumbled to the floor, Rythian felt a rush of warmth surge through his hands, and his fingers began tingling and he rubbed them together to get the circulation flowing again. He turned back to the woman.

“Let’s get more into the centre of the city.” He said, still feeling slightly on edge out in the suburbs. She nodded again and they moved off, heading towards the centre of the city and the huge white glowing tower that was Yoglabs.

As the the adrenalin wore off, and the fatigue kicked in, Rythian could feel himself growing shaky, and a little faint, and he didn’t doubt that the woman felt the same way. They had run a long way from Dark Timberland.

“Thank you. I think you saved my life.” Rythian said softly as they walked. The woman glanced over at him briefly, before looking away, an expression of fear on her face.

“What was that place?” She asked quietly. He shook his head.

“I don’t know. And I don’t want to go back.” He would probably have to go back though, he had no doubt that that was where all the victims of the recent kidnappings had ended up. But he was going back during the day, with plenty of reinforcements.

“Thank you for helping me to get away too.” The woman said after a short pause.

“It’s lucky we ran into each other.” He responded quietly.

As much as he hated to admit it, there was no way he would have gone looking for the woman. His priority had been getting out of there alive. And at such a serious disadvantage and completely outnumbered, he hadn’t had a chance of fighting them off. He glanced over the woman and noticed a large gash down her arm, blood dried black and crusty around it, but still more blood was seeping out of the wound.

“You need to go to hospital. I’ll take you to Yoglabs.” He said firmly.

The woman glanced down at her arm in surprise, and then slight horror as she saw the mass of blood dried on her arm. He was rather shaken up, and taking her to Yoglabs was something for him to do, a goal to focus on. As they approached the building, Rythian patted down his pockets, eventually finding his phone and switching it on before he called Lewis. He desperately wanted to sit down as he was feeling more and more lightheaded and couldn’t quite seem to catch his breath, but he was determined to get the woman to Yoglabs before he’d let himself rest.

“ _Ugh... hello?_ ” The incredibly sleepy voice of Lewis spoke through the speakers and Rythian felt a little guilty at waking him up.

“Lewis, it’s me, Rythian. Can you let me into Yoglabs?”

“ _Can’t you just teleport in? Save me the trouble of going downstairs?_ ” Lewis mumbled.

“I’ve got someone with me. She’s hurt and needs medical attention.” There was a pause, and then Lewis groaned.

“ _Alright. I’ll be down in a few minutes._ ”

With that Lewis hung up and Rythian and the woman waited outside the entrance to Yoglabs. It wasn’t long before a very sleepy Lewis reached the door and unlocked it. He glanced up as Rythian and the woman approached, his eyes going wide.

“Holy shit, what the fuck happened?” He asked, staring at Rythian and the woman. Rythian just shrugged, not really keen on explaining how he’d nearly died. “You both need medical attention, you possibly more.” Lewis muttered, stepping back from the door to let them in and looking over at Rythian.

Rythian looked at Lewis curiously for a moment before he appraised his own body. He’d been so preoccupied with getting away, and the fear that had been coursing through his body had dulled all his pain. Only now did he notice a nasty burn on his arm and the vicious cut on his leg that had been caused by his katar, his teal blood soaked through his trousers. Bruises were already forming on his wrists around where the rope had been tied and every inch of his exposed skin had been scratched up by branches and thorns as he’d run to escape from the robes figures. It certainly explained why he was feeling so lightheaded and faint now.

“I didn’t notice.” He murmured as Lewis guided them into the medical wing of Yoglabs.

Lewis stared at him for a moment before motioning for the pair to wait while he spoke to one of the doctors on the night shift. While Lewis was speaking, Rythian began to feel dizzy, and darkness began creeping in at the edges of his vision. The sounds around him became dulled and faint, and his heartbeat was loud in his ears. Just as Lewis turned back around, Rythian crashed to the floor in a dead faint.

* * *

  
When Rythian finally came to, sunlight was streaming in through the window of the room he was in. His whole body ached fiercely and there was a dull burning ache on his arm and leg. Blinking in the bright sunlight, Rythian manoeuvred himself into a sitting position, groaning at the protesting from his muscles. There was a dull thudding headache in his head and he wanted nothing than to lie back down and go back to sleep. Just as he was considering doing just that, the door to the room opened, and Hannah walked in. She looked over at Rythian and an expression of relief passed over her face.

“Bloody hell. You gave us a scare there, Rythian.” She said, sitting down in one of the chairs in the room.

“I had a bit of a scare myself.” He murmured quietly in response.

“The woman you came in with, Katie I think her name was, she said you ran all the way back from Dark Timberland with her.” Rythian nodded ever so slightly. The events of last night seemed so distant and far away now that the sun was shining. “What the fuck were you doing there?” He gave Hannah a small shrug, hesitating before he decided to explain what had happened.

“Well, I found where all those kidnapped people had gone.” He started out. The smell of blood was still strong in his nose, although that might've just been his imagination. “And unfortunately I think they’re all dead.”

Hannah didn’t say anything as Rythian began to explain. She’d let him finish in his own time. He looked rather haunted as he remembered what happened last night.

“It wasn’t just one kidnapper, it was a whole group. Although ‘cult’ is a better term for what they were. They’d set up what I assumed to be a sacrificial alter in the middle of Dark Timberland. They lured me out there, and then...” Rythian trailed off. He’d come so close to death last night and it was haunting him now.

“Why didn’t you just teleport away?” He shook his head slightly.

“They’d created a huge area around the alter where I couldn’t teleport or use magic. After that, it was just a matter of outnumbering me.” Hannah stared at Rythian, slightly horrified. She relied mostly on fighting hand to hand, but even she needed help from her magic with large enough numbers. And he didn’t need to explain to her what would have happened next.

“It was incredibly lucky for me that that woman arrived when she did. She caused a big enough distraction that I was able to get away.” A few moments later and he would have been tied down to the alter with no chance of escape. “And then I ran until I could teleport again, teleported us out of the forest and then ran all the way back.”

Thinking back on it, with the injures he’d received, it was no wonder he collapsed when he got to Yoglabs. It was a miracle he hadn’t collapsed before that, but he supposed adrenalin had been keeping him going.

“Fucking hell.” The pair were silent for a few moments. “Well, you’ve lost a lot of blood, as I’m sure you’re probably aware, so you need to stay here for a day or two, according to the doctor. In the meantime, I’ll let the police know about this cult, do you know where in the forest it was?” Rythian shook his head.

“No, but it probably won’t be too hard to find, especially in the day time. I managed to find it at night in pitch black. I just kept walking straight from the entrance to the forest.” He explained. Hannah nodded.

“Rest up, Rythian. And hopefully by the time you’re out of here, they’ll be dealt with.” She gave him a smile and left the room.

Rythian sighed and leant back, closing his eyes. He could let himself relax while in Yoglabs, he’d be absolutely fine here for a couple of days. And then, he could worry about that cult.


End file.
